Saiyuki Gaiden: Thanks For The Memories
by Red-Weasel-Chan
Summary: When a heretic child comes into Heaven, he affects the lives of six people. "Awesome! You're shining, like the sun!", "Mama!", "Nataku, about my name- I'm Goku. Nice to meet you.", "Aya-nee, will you protect me too?" "I don't care where I go as long as I can be with you. I'll go with you where ever you go. I love you all a lot so, so... Stay with me always, OK?"
1. Chapter 1: The Heretic Child

**Red-Weasel-Chan: Hey~! So I decided to make a few changes here and there to this story~! :3 So, it's a re-upload! :D Surprise? No? Ok. T.T**

 **The main difference in this version is the way Chao Li and Yun Li look. Other than that, it's practically the same. If you didn't really pay attention to Chao and Yun then this is kind of pointless but you should pay more attention to them! They are adorable~! XD**

 **Also, this re-upload is kind of like an announcement of, "Hey~! I'm back and putting all my attention to this story instead of leaving it behind in the dust and letting it wither and die..."**

 **Sorry about that ^_^'**

 **But for real though, I'm back and this story is the top of my list to finish~! :D I hope you enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own the anime/manga nor the characters except our OC's. Everything belongs to the ever lovely Kazuya Minekura!**

Saiyuki Gaiden: Thanks for the Memories

Chapter 1 – The Heretic Child

It was like any other day in Heaven. The cherry blossoms were blowing in the wind, and within a certain building all was boringly quiet. Konzen Douji was sitting in his office doing paperwork. The beautiful blonde, however, wasn't exactly writing anything down. No, he was more accurately leaning back in his chair with his feet propped upon his desk, a scowl on his features like normal, but it was deeper than usual.

The violet eyed male sighed out, clearly not very happy, and a light tap on the door did anything but lighten it. "I'm busy," he called out, hoping the person would get the idea and leave. His wish was not granted as the door opened to reveal a young woman in her early twenties holding a tray with tea. "I knew you weren't busy," the woman smiled. Konzen looked to see his personal secretary, Yuki. She had long black hair, half up in a bun, the other half flowing down her back, with chocolate brown eyes and sun kissed skin. She was a bit shorter than average women, but her Chinese dress made her stand out even more.

The blonde grunted and went back to doing nothing. Yuki shook her head as she approached the man's desk. "What? Are you not happy to see me?" she teased with a laugh.

Konzen decided to ignore the comment and changed the topic with a question of his own, "Where is your bodyguard?"

Yuki pouted mentally as she replied "You know Yun Li. He is sitting outside per usual."

The man nodded his head to show he had heard her. In all honesty, he didn't much care where the personal guard was. He just wanted a change of topic so it didn't become awkward.

The door opened again to reveal Kanzeon Bosatsu smirking away. At this, Konzen appeared to be getting more agitated. "Well, how is the old married couple today?" the merciful goddess teased.

Both original members in the room stuttered out incoherent replies, not expecting that kind of introduction. Kanzeon laughed at their reactions and waved her hand in front of her to stop them, "I'm just kidding as always. I just love your reactions every time I say it."

The goddess' nephew grumbled out curses her way while his secretary blushed wildly. The merciful goddess knew of the young woman's love for her nephew and so decided to tease them every chance she got. Yuki had somehow managed to make Konzen a bit happier and that is what Kanzeon had always wanted to see…. A happy Konzen.

"What do you want Kanzeon, aside from causing our discomfort?" Konzen growled out, clearly not happy with his aunts' antics.

"Oh, I would like you and Yuki to accompany me to see what kind of animal a traveler has picked up from the world below," the hermaphrodite replied with a smile.

"Animal?" Yuki asked. She read books about the different kinds of animals in the world below but never has seen one.

"Ah, it's a small animal I suppose" Kanzeon pointed out mainly to Konzen. "A golden eyed animal."

* * *

A black haired male was sitting in a cherry blossom tree drinking sake as he listened to his subordinates call out his name so he could attend some meeting. The man didn't seem to care, sipping his drink without a care in the world until a rock met the side of his face. Luckily he kept his balance and managed to stay on the branch.

"Oi! What the hell are you doing up there?!" a rough feminine voice yelled out to him.

The man turned to look at his attacker and wasn't too surprised to see the Admiral of his squad glaring at him. He scoffed and looked away, "None of your damn business! Now go away _Admiral_ ~!" He said the woman's rank in a teasing tone as he was hit in the head once again by a rock. The General growled and glared at the woman once again, "Would you stop throwing rocks at me ya' damn pest?!"

"Who're you calling a pest you damn pervert?!" the woman yelled back at her superior. The Admiral of the Western Army, Amaya, was a normal woman considering she was in the Army. She had black choppy hair with red eyes that popped from underneath her bangs. Her attire was like the General's except she didn't show skin like he did.

"You heard me midget! I don't need to repeat myself to a lower ranking officer like you!" said the six foot one General.

"I may be of lower ranking but I've been doing both you AND Tenpou's work since I got here! Better yet, I should be promoted for all the extra work I've been doing!" Amaya growled out.

"What about my work?" an eerily familiar voice interrupted the argument.

The two black haired individuals turned slowly to see their Field Marshal smiling very creepily at them.

The Admiral backed away in fear. She only saw that face when she knew one of them was going to get beat. "N-Nothing Tenpou," she stuttered out.

Tenpou smirked in satisfaction and ruffled the woman's hair, "I know Amaya. I was just joking with you."

The woman was relieved she didn't piss off her superior. She was about to explain what happened when she was hit on her head by a fist. "Ow! Who the hell hit me?!"

"The same person you ran away from you idiot!" the person nearly snarled out.

Amaya turned around to see her bodyguard, Chao Li. He wore black pants and a gray long sleeve shirt. He had two black belts on his waist; one hanging off his hip while the other worn like a normal belt while one gray belt was tied on his right leg. He had black gauntlets, black gloves and black boots that matched his one shoulder armor. His long lavender hair was tied up in a high ponytail, his gray eyes always narrowed in annoyance at his ward. The black haired woman, after figuring out who it was, scoffed and looked away like a little kid, "Oh, it's just you."

Chao Li seemed to breathe fire through his nostrils at the immature comment, "Just ME?! You little bitch! I have been looking everywhere in Heaven for you! Do not just shrug me off like I'm a fucking bug!"

The red eyed girl felt an anger mark pound on her forehead, "I'll do whatever the hell I want! You're not my father!"

As they continued to argue, Tenpou and Kenren looked on in amusement. They couldn't help but laugh as the two fought over something so trivial.

The field Marshal then looked up to see that his General was smiling at Amaya. Though neither Amaya nor Kenren have said anything, Tenpou knew of their feelings for each other, even if they themselves haven't realized. They seemed to balance each other out, but both were too stubborn to admit anything between themselves, it seemed that Kenren had to resort to teasing her in order to gain her attention.

"Hey, don't you think we should try and stop them?" Kenren asked, referring to the two hot heads that were now attempting to rip out the others entrails.

Tenpou just laughs, shaking his head saying, "No, that's their way of showing their friendship".

"One hell of a sadistic way to talk to your buddy," the General grumbled under his breath.

* * *

"So, you have brought this infant from the World Below?" Kanzeon asks a man, Jiroushin, whom is kneeling in front of her.

"Yes. In the state of Toujyoushin, Gouraikoku, at the top of the Mountain Kakasan, born from a rock, was a youkai heretic," Egan explained his encounter.

"Born from a rock?" Konzen questioned out loud, not really believing such a story.

"Actually," the goddess looked up at her nephew, "It isn't a human nor a demon. It is a creature born by nature."

"Is he really that terrifying?" Yuki asked for everyone. So far this new being in Heaven sounded like everyone's worst nightmare.

Before more discussion could be made, the room was filled with a loud, "Let ME GO! Ouch! Don't hold me so hard!"

One of the guards that brought the child in the room growled at the comment, "Shut up! Couldn't you be a bit more mature?" A small child with long brown hair, golden eyes, and shackles on his wrists, neck, and ankles came into view, sitting on the ground. He was pouting at the guard like any normal child would do and said, "You promised me that you would give me food if I came along with you here! You big fat liar!"

The blonde man just stared at the little boy before feeling a sweat drop form on his head. "He is an animal," he grumbled out at the mention of food.

His assistant, however, looked at the boy with sparkly eyes and a huge smile. Clearly she loved the child already. "I think he is just simply adorable!" she squealed, really tempted to squeeze his cheeks in delight.

The second guard seemed to be a bit skeptical about the woman's statement and said, "Look at this kid. He was born with golden eyes."

Konzen and Yuki looked at the kid, who was staring in their direction, and saw that the guard was right. The boy had striking golden eyes that were not normal.

"With eyes which are more golden than anything and a strong personality that he holds," the guard turned to the goddess with curious eyes, as if he didn't know what to do. "I am not sure of what punishment he should receive, so I've come to ask for your opinion."

"Hmm, I see," Kanzeon hummed in thought. "Heaven forbids killing. If we keep him locked up in prison, it would be like we are giving him a house."

"Kanzeon Bosatsu!" the guard exclaimed, not quite believing what she said.

While that happened, the boy stood and was now standing in front of Konzen with wide eyes. The violet eyed man looked at the child with a bored but curious expression. "What do you want?"

The child smiled, "Awesome~!" he then lifted his hand up to grab the blondes long ponytail, "You're shining! Like the sun." That comment made Konzen's eyes widen in shock.

The guard stuttered out in embarrassment from the comment, "Ah! F-Forgive his rudeness Master Konzen Douji!"

The next moment there was a large tuff of blonde hair in the child's hand. The poor boy didn't know what exactly happened but he sheepishly smiled, "Ah, sorry." The blonde man could feel his vein pulse on his head from his anger.

Both Kanzeon and Yuki had to stifle their laugher at the scene. Konzen then grabbed the kids head and yelled, "What do you think you were doing Baka-Saru!?"

The boy tried to get out of the man's hold and yelled back, "What? Isn't it alright since I've already apologized?!"

Egan nearly pulled out his own hair out when the kid pulled the man's hair. He was going to be punished or even tortured after that incident.

"Oi, Egan," the guard stopped his meltdown at the voice of his boss, "You want us to take care of him here, don't you?"

At the question of the child staying, violet eyes looked up in curiosity but the owner continued to pull the boy's ears in punishment form pulling Konzen's hair. "We'll look after him right here," Kanzeon confirmed.

The goddess' assistant decided against it and scolded his Master, "What are you talking about Kanzeon Basatsu-sama?! You have never even grown a flower before! How are you going to keep him here?!"

Kanzeon glared at her assistant and grumbled, "You're being rude!" before revealing her true intentions, "…Who said I was keeping the kid? I will leave everything to my nephew and Yuki."

Konzen was about to decline and start yelling at his aunt but Yuki was ecstatic at the order she was given. So much so that she ran up to the child and squeezed him into a hug. "YAY! You hear that little one? You're in my care!"

Konzen was about to tell her to let the boy go until he saw her smiling with the child in her arms. Seeing her happy like that, he just couldn't bring himself to say no and break her heart. He sighed heavily, letting a small smile show on his features. His usual scowl reappearing on his face once he heard a certain giggle nearby.

"Remember to name him~!" the goddess called from her throne, completely ignoring the fact she just ruined his good mood.

He was about to throw back a retort but his attention was caught by familiar brown eyes. "Can we head back? I want to feed him before he starves, since they have not fed him yet," Yuki asked with an innocent smile, clearly not noticing what was happening between aunt and nephew.

Konzen let out another sigh, "Fine. Let's head back to my office."

The short woman beamed at the man before returning her attention to the small boy, "Come on little one. We will get you some food soon."

Gold eyes shined at the mention of food. The child grabbed Yuki's hand and raced out while yelling, "FOOD!" over and over again. Konzen soon followed, mumbling about monkeys and death.

Kanzeon smiled as she watched them leave. When they were out of the room, she realized something, "Looks like the sun, huh? Isn't it the best compliment, Konzen?"

* * *

"Where did he go!?" a loud and very angry voice echoed throughout the palace. "That Baka Saru!"

Yuki appeared from behind Yun Li as the blonde threw a tantrum, "Um, Konzen? May I ask, why you are so angry?"

The temperamental blonde half glared at his secretary. He knew it wasn't her fault, but she was babying the child a little too much. He also knew the only reason she was hiding behind her bodyguard, was because he has been throwing random stuff to find the heretic child and some stuff managed to go her way. "You didn't stop him when he folded my important documents into origami! That's what."

The short woman wanted to retort but found her voice caught in her throat. He was right, but she didn't want to yell at the boy. Though she knew how important those documents were she couldn't bring herself to scold the child. Not when he looked up at her with that face. She had grown quite attached to him in the short amount of time they spent together, and she realized that he doesn't know any better. So she couldn't get mad at him for being ignorant of something's.

-A Few Minutes Later-

 _When they had returned to Konzen's office Yuki had her bodyguard, Yun Li, get food for the child. The boy ate like there was no tomorrow. He devoured nearly ten times his own weight in food until Konzen told Yun Li to stop bringing food._

 _After a while, Yuki returned to her work, collecting some document for Konzen. While she was out and about, the small child would whine and complain, wondering when she would come back and play with him. Each time Konzen was getting closer and closer to his breaking point. It finally got to the point that any time the child opened his mouth Konzen would smack him._

 _When she finally returned Konzen asked, "What took you so long?"_

 _"Oh I had not realized I had been gone that long. I ran into an old friend and I suppose we just got lost in catching up," she replied with a nervous laugh._

 _"Yeah well, I'll be right back. You watch the Chibi Saru for a bit. He has been whining about you for hours," he replied as he left the room._

 _With Yuki's attention now on the boy she realized that while she and the grumpy blonde were talking, the boy had made the documents she brought back into airplanes. She was about to scold him for doing such a thing until he went up to her with delight in his eyes saying, "Look at what I made! Isn't it cool?"_

 _Looking at the hopeful face he was making, she gave him a warm smile and said, "Look at you. You are so talented. Will you show me how to make one?"_

 _And so, while Konzen was out she sat with the golden eyed child folding documents into paper planes… though Konzen doesn't need to know that._

-Present-

"I'll fucking kill him!" Konzen muttered darkly.

"Excuse me sir," Yun Li interrupted the murderous chants.

Konzen looked at the man standing in front of him waiting somewhat patiently for what he had to say.

Standing a bit shorter than Konzen, Yun Li had short choppy aqua hair and dark blue eyes. He wore dark form fitting pants, dark aqua boots, blue long sleeve turtleneck with a black short sleeve shirt over it and a white jacket. He has pieces of aqua colored armor on his shoulder and upper arms. Sword strapped at his waist, he was quite intimidating when you first glance at him. But he never said much, didn't argue or get into others business. Unless of course it had to do with Yuki. Konzen didn't mind Yun Li being around, since he was so quiet.

"It is kind of your fault," the tall man finished with an indifferent expression.

"Tch!" Violet eyes narrowed but decided against arguing with him. Instead he pointed to a servant passing by and growled out, "Go find that Chibi Saru!"

Startled, the poor servant nodded his head and ran off before he got yelled at for dawdling. What the blonde didn't know was that the child he was looking for was hiding behind a wall, almost trembling in fear at what he heard. When the coast was clear, he let out a sigh of relief, "Man, he's beautiful but scary. He often hits me too… I really like Yuki though. She's really nice! But her bodyguard is kind of scary..."

After a few more seconds of silence he decided to go into hiding until Konzen wasn't so angry at him anymore. He walked around the palace until he came across huge double doors. Upon entering the room he stopped when he heard a voice close by saying "Oi, who are you?"


	2. Chapter 2: A New Friend

**Red-Weasel-Chan: Second chapter up a few minutes later~! I hope you guys aren't giving up on me! I'm sorry if you are and I understand! T.T *feelings are hurt***

 **Anyways, here is chapter 2~! Enjoy!**

 **We don't own Saiyuki!**

Chapter 2: A New Friendship

"Oi, who are you?" a young voice echoed in the huge room the heretic child was in. The child looked to see who asked and was surprised to see another boy about the same age as himself. The boy had light blonde hair held back in a bun, a few strands strung in his face. His violet eyes reflected his own shock to see the golden eyed child. "Hey! I'm asking who you are."

The brunette child looked down in confusion, "Um..." He didn't know how to answer since he didn't know who he was either. Suddenly there were noises outside the room. The blonde cursed, "Shit!" and grabbed the heretic's wrist to pull him behind the big statue in the room.

The door was slammed open by a male servant. "Are you in here Nataku-sama?!" he yelled in the seemingly empty room. "Hugh? Geez, where are you hiding Nataku-sama…"

The boy, Nataku, covering the brunette's mouth chuckled evilly, "Hehe, Baka!"

When the coast was clear, Nataku let go of the boy he found. The brunette asked, "… Are you running away because you did something bad too?"

"It's nothing big," the blonde reassured, "A god who always scatters his ego around was taking a nap with an idiotic face. So I just drew nose hair on him."

There was a few moments of silence until the heretic child burst into laughter, "Bwahahahaha! That's awesome! I seriously want to see it!"

"Right?"Nataku asked like he wasn't sure until he smiled when he noticed the boy was pure in his emotion. "Right! I should have taken a picture of it! You're a funny guy! I'm Nataku. What about you?"

"Um…" the golden eyed boy looked down and started to play with his feet, "I… don't have a name yet. There wasn't anybody to give me one," the boy sadly admitted. "I'm supposed to be weird. They say because I was born from a stone, I'm 'heretic'. They said that golden eyes are bad luck so they have to 'shelter' me here."

"Hmm, I really don't know much, but that's amazing," the blonde replied with a serious expression. "Eh?" the heretic was surprised by the boy's answer. "There's only one of you in this world right? That means there isn't any substitute for you. Isn't that kind of amazing?" Nataku cleared up his response.

The two children were interrupted by the same male servant appearing by the blonde. "I've found you Nataku-sama!" the man yelled.

The boy jumped at the man's voice, "Whaa!"

"You're bad jokes are too much! Please return to the main house," the servant politely but angrily ordered.

"Tsk, fine." Nataku reluctantly agreed. He stood up and was about to leave when he heard, "Nataku."He turned to give the boy who said his name his attention. "Hey, can we play again?" the heretic asked with hopeful eyes.

Violet eyes were shocked but then they closed so the owner could smile, "Yeah! Later!"

* * *

"You've made a friend?" Konzen asked, slightly shocked by this news.

"Yeah! He was kind of rude but, he was a fun guy," the brunette child exclaimed in delight. He finally made a new friend in this weird place and he was excited to see him again.

"That's good," the blonde man said, trying to figure out who the little monkey could have met. The only person who was the same age as the boy was-. He felt eyes staring at him which caused his thoughts to stop. Looking to his right, he met gold eyes, "What?"

"Hey Konzen. Give me a name," the brunette did not ask but nearly ordered.

Konzen was surprised, 'What's with him suddenly-.'

"I…next time I see him I want to tell him my name! I want to be properly called by a name. That's why…" the boy yelled, almost desperate to get a name from the beautiful blonde.

Unfortunately the man didn't want any part of it and rolled over on his bed and said, "Some other time."

"No! I want it now! NOW!" the little child yelled.

"Then it's Saru. I've decided on Saru," Konzen clearly made up just to try to get the boy to be quiet. Next thing the blonde knew, he was hit in the head by a pillow.

"Baka Konzen! I'm even begging you too!" the brunette whined, not facing his keeper by how mad he was.

"Bastard! Don't get so…" the violet eyed male was about to yell at the boy but suddenly said, "Goku."

The heretic child perked at the name. He slowly turned to the blonde now under his covers with a shocked expression.

"It's Goku,"Konzen repeated, "It's short and easy so that even a monkey-head like you can memorize it, right?"

Still shocked, Goku simply replied, "Yeah." After a few moments, shock soon turned into delight then excitement, "I see. I'm Goku! Hey! What does it mean?! What does it mean?!"

"Shut up! Go to sleep!" the irritate male growled out.

"What?! You're so stingy!"

* * *

"You named him?" a cheerful voice asked in an equally cheerful tone.

"Yeah, I came up with it last night. He wouldn't stop bugging me about it," an annoyed voice replied.

"Well, what did you name him?!" Yuki asked in excitement, forgetting she was picking up the mess in her boss's office.

Before the blonde could reply, his office door opened to reveal Tenpou smiling his usual creepy smile. "Well," the Field Marshal started walking to the blonde's desk, careful to step over random books and paper scattered on the floor, "Even though I haven't visited, it's gotten a lot lively."

Konzen rubbed his temples at the reminder that his office is still a mess, "You can say that."

Goku appeared in the doorway yelling, "Yuki!" but stopped when he noticed someone he's never seen before already in there. "Huh? A visitor?"

Tenpou waved at the boy, "I don't mind. Please come in."

The little brunette, excited about meeting a new person mixed with saying his name said, "Me, I'm called Goku! What about Oji-san?"

"Onii-san is Tenpou," the lazy looking male answered. "You can say that I'm an old acquaintance of Konzen. Please, call me Ten-chan."

"Yay! It's Ten-chan!" the heretic cheered with a giddy face.

"Tenpou…"Konzen growled out, not understanding why the Army guy stuck with such a weird nickname.

"You're so good with kids," Yuki commented with an innocent smile. "Oh, my name is Yuki. I'm Konzen's secretary."

"Nice to meet you Yuki," Tenpou smiled back at the young woman. He was a bit confused because he knew that name sounded familiar but couldn't place where he heard it.

"So, you named him Goku?" the black haired woman brought their attention back to the little boy who was currently playing with a butterfly outside.

"A person who can 'apprehend'...'Ku', a thing that cannot be seen by the eye," the Field Marshal philosophized for the group. "It's a fine name."

Konzen scoffed under his breath, "Shut up!"

Yuki suddenly hugged the little boy and rubbed her face against his, squealing, "It fits him perfectly!"

Goku just lets the woman do as she pleases, thinking he did something good with a huge smile, laughing in a goofy manner. Tenpou laughs at the interaction until he heard his old acquaintance speak.

"Don't you have your own zoo?" the blonde mentioned with a curious side glance.

"Yeah except I got three big children," Tenpou said as he pulled out a cigarette from his lab coat pocket. After lighting it and putting it to his lips he continued, "My Admiral, Amaya, has a huge temper and very brash so the other two love to pick at her to see how far she can go until she explodes."

Hearing her sister's name, Yuki halted her hugging and asked, "Aya?" but fell on deaf ears.

"She's very good at what she does but she's a bit oblivious to things which causes the Squad to baby her a bit because she's still young. She, of course, hates it and strives to show them she doesn't need to be protected," the black haired male let a small smile grace his lips at the thought since he was just as guilty for babying the violent woman.

"She sounds annoying," Konzen grumbled under his breath. He could tell he won't like this woman just by how the Field Marshal explained her.

"She has a bodyguard named Chao Li. Their relationship is...unique?" Tenpou couldn't quite place how the Admiral and her bodyguard are around each other.

"Unique how?"

"Chao Li is very aggressive, impulsive and violent. With this, he is obviously very intimidating and he uses that to his advantage to get his way but Amaya stands up to him. They bicker a lot when Amaya runs off but you can tell they care for each other even when they are at their throats."

"I'm surprised they haven't killed each other yet."

"I agree. Last but not least is my General. He's a bigger child than Amaya and Chao Li combined."

"He's Kenren right? I hear he's stronger than the Fighting God that is lying around."

"Even if he's doing whatever he wants, he's a pretty sharp person. With that, there's a lot of enemies."

"Looks like even the top people in the military think he's troublesome."

"Isn't that because there's something shameful in the upper ranks?"

"You think so to?" Yuki interrupted.

Both men looked at her in slight surprise. "You actually know about this?" Konzen questioned.

"Yeah. When I go run errands, I hear people gossiping about how the upper ranks are planning something," the kind woman replied like it didn't matter.

Her boss didn't seem to think so because he gave her a glare and yelled, "And you didn't inform me?!"

Yuki flinched at the tone and tried to explain, "I-I thought it wasn't important!"

"How is this not important?!" the blonde male argued.

His secretary didn't know how to respond. She honestly thought it was just gossip going around that wasn't true. She was a bit conflicted on how to reply next.

"It's not just that. I feel something suspicious about the large number of troops going off to war these days," Tenpou said in a serious tone.

"Oh," Yuki stopped her silent treatment to look at her guest, "Do you know why they are sending so many troops to war?"

The Field Marshal shook his head, "Sorry, I don't know the full details. Why do you ask?"

"Well, for a while my sister Amaya had been receiving requests to join a group that have been assigned to fight in the war. She never told me why they requested her though or why she refused. She only told me that they wanted her to go," the black haired woman explained.

Tenpou was shocked at this bit of news. He never heard his Admiral say anything about being requested to join the troops in the war. "I never knew about this," he mumbled out. Then another thing the woman said clicked in his brain, "You're the sister of Amaya?"

"Ah, yeah," Yuki sheepishly smiled.

Tenpou looked over the woman, almost not believing it. This sweet, kind woman was the sibling of his oblivious, temperamental Admiral?

"Anyways, so I thought they requested her because her violent personality would benefit the front-line," Yuki gave her opinion but knew she had no idea what terms to use...especially in front of a Field Marshal.

"That would make sense but in this Upper World, where a war doesn't occur, and death doesn't exist, a military was made to punish those that disrupt the peace and order. A war is originally there to penetrate one's own ideals," the laid back male explained then sighed, "Complaining to you two won't do a thing. I'll come back again."

The young woman was about to ask why he was so tense about the situation but decided against it. She knew very little compared to the military man.

"Tenpou," Konzen called out to his old acquaintance who was about to leave, "A Marshal is supposed to be higher in rank than the General and the Admiral. Why are you letting yourself be an adjutant?"

Tenpou simply smiled and said, "I don't like to stand out."

Goku suddenly appeared by the Field Marshal, "Hey! You're going home Ten-chan?"

Tenpou beamed at the little boy, "Yes, goodbye! See you again!"

"Goodbye Tenpou!" Yuki also waved at their guest, "Oh, please tell Amaya hello for me."

"Of course!" the black haired male replied, his huge smile still on his face.

Konzen just watched the interaction with a scowl as he thought, ' _Don't you stand out enough?'_ Even with his scowl, the blonde thought back to what his old friend said. He knew that weird movements were starting to come out at a place where his eyes couldn't reach.

Something hit him. Was Tenpou purposely making the General and Admiral whirl and stir the upper ranks?

* * *

"Fighting God Nataku Taishi! Forward," a man next to the emperor was sitting yelled in the quiet area.

The huge group of people that gathered for the occasion started to mumble under their breath as the blonde boy walked to where he was instructed.

"It's Nataku-sama's appearance," one voice could be heard in the crowd.

"I can't believe that conceited brat is a fighting god," another voice said in disgust.

"I heard he defeated a monster that was ten times his own height with one hit," the third voice said in amazement.

"He has the strength of an ogre!" another exclaimed.

"It's suspicious considering from whose stomach he was born from," a middle aged man insulted. He was then grabbed from behind, a hand covering his mouth to silence his scream.

"Say things you want with a bigger voice," Kenren said quietly so he wouldn't cause a ruckus.

The elder man was about to attempt to scream again but a young woman appeared in front of him with an evil smirk.

"Or else nobody will hear your pathetic mouth," Amaya finished, giving a look that promised pain if he attempted to do anything else.

The boy finally made it in front of the emperor and bowed on one knee to show respect. "Nataku, the reason I called you is nothing else..." the emperor started but was interrupted by the boy he was talking to.

"The nose hair is still vaguely there," Nataku pointed out with a dull expression.

"Shut up!" the elder growled out, "In this case, let's just wash off your cute prank. I'll order you into a serious mission. Go to Gekai. One has been eating the people through his personal desire, and disrupting the order there."

People around the area quietly listened, not expecting their emperor to give such a mission to the boy.

"Your mission is to subjugate the Dai Youkai, Gyumaou. That man is powerful enough to be called a destructive God. However, if pitted against you, he wouldn't last a second. You'll go, won't you?" the emperor asked like the Fight God had a choice.

Nataku just looked at the old man in distaste. He knew these bastards just saw him as a murder doll. He hated them all and that's why he promised to never become an adult like them.

"Understood," the boy bowed his head to show he knew what to do.


	3. Chapter 3: Another New Friend?

**Red-Weasel-Chan: Hello once again~! I have no interesting story to tell just that I hope you enjoy this chapter of Thanks For The Memories~! :D**

 **Love you guys~!**

 **Disclaimer: We do not own Saiyuki!**

Chapter 3: Another New Friend?

Goujun was walking down the halls of the Western Army building. It was quiet in the halls besides the sounds of his boots hitting the floor. A few minutes later, he heard another set of footsteps ring in the empty hallway. He looked up to see the General of his unit.

The silver haired continued walking but expected a greeting from the lower ranked man. He was not happy when the General just walked past him like he wasn't even there. "Oi," Goujun called out to halt the retreating male, "Shouldn't you greet your superiors when you see them?"

Kenren faced his superior, his cigarette still burning between his lips, "Ah, sorry." The General bowed and said, "Good afternoon," then turned around to leave with a mumbled, "Goodbye."

"Kenren Taisho," Goujun stopped the man once again.

Kenren glowered at being held up from his own destination, "What do you want? It's so bothersome. I'm not that free, you know?"

The army officer ignored the man's complaints and pointed to the bottle strapped to his belt, "What is the bottle of wine doing dangling there on your back?"

"Ah, that's my fuel," the black haired male simply replied like it wasn't a huge deal.

"Ugh," Goujun groaned out, "If it wasn't for Tenpou, you would have already been fired from your job. You should thank your helpful deputy."

Kenren chuckled but then gave his superior a mischievous look, "You too be careful not to be bitten by the talented dog."

"What?" the silver haired asked in confusion at the General's response. Kenren was already walking away with a teasing, "Well, bye~!" leaving his superior to stare after his retreating form.

The General continued to walk, thinking about his encounter with the silver haired. The West Dragon King was one of the elite soldiers of the fighting God family. He was strict with pale skin and red eyes so of course he was respected and feared automatically…except by the lawless man Kenren.

Even though Goujun was his superior, he still couldn't respect him no matter how hard he tried.

Kenren made a move to turn to his right when he was hit by someone in his way. He looked down after the startled gasp came from below to meet gold eyes.

"Uh, sorry!" the golden eyed kid managed to squeak out. Apparently in a hurry, the child turned and said, "Okay bye!"

Being faster, the General grabbed the kid's long hair to halt him, "Oi, kid."

The boy fell down at the tug to his hair, "Ouch! What are you doing?!"

Kenren ignored the question and squatted down to face the kid more appropriately. "Are you the one that Tenpou is always talking about named 'Goku', who is under the care of Konzen?" he asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

Goku stood up, "Eh? Uncle, you're Ten-chan's friend?"

"Don't call me Uncle! I'm still young!" the black haired male growled out. He was not going to let some kid think he was old by calling him 'uncle'.

"Kenren Taisho!" a group of servants yelled as they were running up to the military man and child.

"What do you want?" the General asked, noticing how the kid he was talking to was slowly hiding behind him. Apparently it had something to do with the kid.

"This kid, he was wandering around Tentei's Castle without permission, but we have no idea how he sneaked in though," one of the servants explained.

He was right and this was the perfect opportunity to cause some mayhem. "Hmm, it's okay!"

"Huh? Do you know him?" a servant questioned in confusion.

"Or rather," Kenren got close to the kid and said seriously, "He's my illegitimate child with Amaya."

Poor Goku could just blush and stare wide eyed. He didn't know how to continue as the servants stared at them in a mix of confusion and shock. They could only watch as the General walked away with the child, laughing at the reactions he received.

* * *

A stack of papers was dropped on the desk in front of Konzen but it wasn't meant for him. It was meant for his Aunt in front of his desk. "What is this?" the Goddess asked, clearly not understanding.

"The delayed documents," Konzen replied. "Ever since the monkey came along, I can't have any rest. He nags about seeing Yuki all damn day and when she's not around, he finds some way of keeping me away from my work. Let some other people do this job."

Kanzeon smiled, "It looks like you're having fun."

"You're kidding!" the blonde growled out. "I'm having trouble here!"

"But you're being a great dad, aren't you?" Kanzeon retorted which caused her nephew to be quiet. She wanted to say that Yuki was also being a great wife and mother but it wouldn't be the appropriate time to say it now.

Konzen sighed, "Besides that, do you know the guy named Tenpou from the West Army?"

"Known as a weirdo to others, the guy with a cute face," the Merciful Goddess confirmed. "What about him?"

"He expressed his distrust of the movement in the upper levels of Heaven. He's a smart guy. He could be a threat to the upper levels," the male revealed.

"Isn't he your friend? Is it okay to tip him off like that?" Kanzeon asked, slightly shocked the blonde would rat out his own friend.

"I said it only because of you," Konzen replied with an indifferent expression, like it honestly didn't bother him. "I am not alerted of any movements or anything in the upper levels since I have nothing to do with the army, that's why."

"It is true since I can clearly see the disorder of their movements but even I don't know everything. They probably won't say anything about the issue sadly, but then…" the Goddess trailed off.

"But?" her nephew tried to get her to finish what she was saying.

Kanzeon smirked, "It won't turn out good. But, I'm the one in charge here. I know how to train my dogs." The Goddess then noticed something colorful in the corner of her eye. It was a small bouquet of flowers, obviously picked by a child, in a cup of water. "What's this?"

"The monkey put it there. He must have picked it somewhere," Konzen replied, a soft smile barely showing on his features.

"Aren't they beautiful?" the Merciful Goddess asked her nephew.

"Guess so," the blonde grunted out.

Kanzeon looked back to her nephew and then noticed a small basket full of healthy fruits with a note nearby. "Who's that from?"

"Yuki," the male simply replied.

"Oh, where is she?"

"Her and her sister is dealing with family business so she's not here today."

Kanzeon nodded her head. No wonder it's so quiet in the room. Normally the young woman was nearby playing with the child but it was oddly quiet. It almost didn't feel right for both her and her nephew. "What does the note say?"

Konzen grabbed the letter and handed it to his Aunt, "See for yourself."

The Goddess took the paper and read it through. When she was done, her smile hurt a bit too much. Yuki said for her nephew to get enough sleep since the child was keeping him up later than usual, to eat healthy food and not work hard. She also said which files she sent and which ones are already organized. She even told him to watch over Goku, like to feed him and of course for him to sleep well too. At the end, she stated when her and her sister would return and to not leave a mess behind.

Kanzeon's smile widened, "Did you even eat some of that fruit?"

The blonde scoffed, "Of course. I was stuck here all damn day finishing up these documents. I couldn't leave so I ate some of it."

She knew that wasn't the full truth. If he didn't care, he wouldn't have kept the basket of fruit and note. He would've thrown it away or given it to a random servant to get rid of it. The blonde man was changing and she had a sinking feeling it was because of his secretary and the heretic. Kanzeon chuckled, "You really have changed Konzen."

"What are you talking about?! Get lost now!" Konzen growled out, tired of his Aunt's games.

"Isn't this good? Unchanging things are boring," Kanzeon stated before setting the letter back on the desk to leave.

* * *

"Hey, why are you here?" Kenren asked the kid he just saved. They were out back under a cherry blossom tree since they were in the clear. "Aren't you supposed to be at Konzen's castle instead?"

"Yeah, but I've met Nataku somewhere around here before. That's why I've come here to try to meet him again," Goku explained with his hands behind his head like it was a simple story.

That caught the General's attention, "Did you just say Nataku? Is it Nataku Taishi?"

"Yeah!" the child beamed. "He's my friend. Before that, when I met him, I didn't have a name. Now that I have one, I really want to tell him."

Kenren just stared at the child as he talked. He honestly considered the God as a person unlike most people in Heaven. He was glad that the heretic and Nataku were becoming friends since the Fighting God was alone most of the time. "Ah, a friend to the 'Killing Puppet'," the tall male muttered out.

"Huh?" the heretic asked in confusion, not quite getting the full thing the man just said.

"Nah, nothing," the General avoided, "Nataku is not here right now."

"What?! He's not here?!" Goku screeched.

"He'll be back either today or tomorrow," Kenren reassured the child, "Then you can go find him at his house when he comes back." The black haired man went up to pick up the brunette but the kid didn't even budge. He gave the kid a narrowed gaze, "Aren't you _too_ heavy?"

"Huh? Ah, yeah. 'Cause these things are on me, that's why," the child gestured to the shackles on his wrists and ankles.

"These shackles…don't one of them weigh around 20 kg?!" Kenren though out loud. He was so surprised that this kid could actually move around so easily with all the stuff on him. Were all golden eyed creatures as dangerous as this fella?

Goku stared at the man staring at him with wide eyes, not understanding why he was looking at him. He then remembered something the General mentioned, "Hey, who's Amaya?"

Kenren was brought out of his shocked state at the question. Once the question registered in his mind, a smile was brought onto his features, "Ah," he leaned against the rock behind him and crossed his arms in front of him, "Amaya is the pain in the ass Admiral in my Squad."

"Why did you say I was your child with her?" Goku asked, not understanding why he said such a thing in the first place.

The General smirked, "Because it was the only thing I could think of at the moment. Plus," the man looked up at the cherry blossoms blowing in the wind above him, surprisingly calm even though he was talking about a 'pain in the ass', "I sort of love her." And she won't hear about it. She rarely listens to rumors going around the castle unless it involves her sister.

"Where is she now?" the child innocently asked, curious of this Amaya girl. She's heard about her from Yuki and he's always wanted to meet her from the stories the kind woman has told him.

"Ah, she's at some meeting about her family. She said she would be back soon though," Kenren tried to sound reassuring to support the kid but it sounded like he was trying to convince himself instead. He honestly missed her but he would never tell her that. Not unless he wanted something thrown at him.

Before they could talk more, a servant ran up to them, yelling, "Kenren Taisho! Master Nataku is back from subduing Gyumao!"

"Oh?" Kenren responded, his calm mood gone now at the news. Even though Goku was happy about the news, he knew something wasn't right. "What happened?"

"Um, the fight was totally successful but…it was quite difficult…"

* * *

"Master Nataku! Master Nataku!" was all you heard in the Grand Palace. The Fighting God was covered in blood, holding his left arm in pain, his hair a mess and his breathing labored. A servant was brave enough to go up to the kid but his hand was slapped away.

Nataku glared at the man, "Don't touch me!" The servant backed away in fear. Then, the hall was filled with a loud, "Nataku!"

Goku was running towards his new friend, "Nataku! Are you okay?!"

The Fighting God was shocked to see the child from yesterday. "You…the person from the other day," he managed to grunt out until consciousness left him. He didn't even feel himself falling forward into the heretic's arms.

Goku barely made it to catch his injured friend but did not expect for him to be unconscious.

He screamed in a panicked cry, "NATAKU!"


	4. Chapter 4: The Start

**Weasel-Chan: So, this has been sitting in my computer for awhile...Done...And ready for posting but I never got around to it :/ I apologize.**

 **Go grab the pitchforks and torches to chase me with. It won't be a very long chase. I'm lazy and old. My old bones won't get me far.**

 **Anyways, after a long wait, here it is~! :D I hope you enjoy! If not, you know where to find me. Crippled with my old bones :P**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Saiyuki.**

 **OH! Before you start the story, I have news. I'm also posting this on WattPad. If you happen to have the app and all and want to read it on there, go for it~! :3 It's under the same name and my name is the same on there as well~. Just Saiyan.**

 **There. Daily advertising of the day done.**

 **Bye.**

Chapter 4: The Start

"Oi Tenpou!" Kenren called out as he knocked on his friend's door. He found out some interesting information yesterday and he needs to tell the lazy man. After a few seconds of nothing, the tall male was getting suspicious of the silence. "Did he get lost in his world of books again?" He sighed and slowly opened the door, "I'm coming in Ten-ACK!"

The General was almost knocked down by a pile of books rushing out at the open door with an irritated woman on top of the mess. "What the hell Kenren?! I told you not to open the door!" Amaya yelled at her superior.

"I didn't hear anything! I thought Tenpou was taking a nap or something!" Kenren argued. He was honestly surprised to see the Admiral but her outburst killed his joy.

"It is common courtesy to leave if nobody answers idiot!" the violent woman retorted as she tried to move all the books back in the room.

"This is my office to midget. I can enter as much as I want to!" the General reminded with a smirk since he knew he won the battle.

Amaya growled, "And yet you know of the dangers while opening that door since this guy," she pointed to the back of the head poking above a surprisingly clean desk, "keeps on bringing more books with him each time he leaves this office."

He was caught at that point. Both of them knew their friend always brings back books about war and occasionally stuff from the World Below. He claimed he needed the materials but both red eyed Gods think he is a hoarder.

Seeing as she won the Admiral scoffed, "Now, please stay out of my way like Chao Li." She jabbed a thumb to the right where her bodyguard was lying on a small stack of books reading a random book he found with a bored face.

Kenren threw up his hands in surrender so the annoyed woman wouldn't punch him. He slowly tip-toed around random stack of books to get to the Field Marshall behind the clean desk. "Oi, how did it get this bad?" the black haired man asked.

Tenpou looked up at his old friend with a confused look, "Oh, Kenren. When did you get here?"

Kenren let his head drop at the obliviousness of the lazy man, "You didn't hear Amaya and I fighting just now?"

"Ah, sorry! I never noticed," the Field Marshall chuckled but was serious about not hearing the argument. He was too into his book to even hear anything besides his light breathing.

"Never noticed," the General grumbled under his breath, clearly not believing his friend.

"Amaya came by about two hours ago but suddenly yelled at me about the condition my office was in. So, she started cleaning but I found a book and noticed it was about the history of war from the World Below," Tenpou explained his situation. "But once I started reading it, I couldn't stop."

Kenren noticed his friend was about to quote something from the book and stopped him, "Look, I didn't come here to join your book club." His serious tone made the Admiral, who was still sweeping the books in the hallway, stop and listen. Even her bodyguard glanced at the man. "Nataku Taishi has come back from subduing Gyumao."

That seemed to grab everyone's attention. "Isn't that a bit too quick?" Tenpou asked. "Even though the Upper Levels are taking cautious steps, it shouldn't be that quick."

"Even though Nataku won, he was seriously injured. He's still unconscious," Kenren said as he leaned against the bookshelf behind him. He crossed his arms across his chest and glared at nothing in particular, "But one thing is bothering me. The other soldiers who went along came back injury free."

The Field Marshall looked down with a frown, "So, they did rely on the 'killing puppet' for everything."

"Those bastards," Amaya growled out. Even though she never knew the Fighting God, it still didn't sit well with her that a group of soldiers were there and did nothing to help the kid. It made her sick.

Tenpou suddenly remembered his conversation with the violent woman's sister, "Hey, how come you never told us?"

"Huh?" the red eyed woman looked to her superior in confusion.

"About the requests going to war with Nataku."

"What?!" Chao Li screeched, throwing the book in his hand down as he jumped up.

"Why didn't you tell us?!" Kenren yelled, feeling a bit hurt he wasn't informed about the situation. Normally the Admiral would always come to him if something came up about something new going on.

"And where was I when they asked?!" the bodyguard questioned, still in shock he didn't know about this. He was usually the first one to hear about news going on around concerning his ward.

"I didn't tell you guys because it wasn't a big deal!" Amaya growled out, glaring at the three men bombing her with questions. "And you never heard about it because they sent letters to the house."

The men calmed down but still gave her looks that wanted more answers. The Upper Levels were getting gutsier inviting the black haired woman to join the squad they formed.

"Who requested you to join?" Tenpou asked, already having a feeling who it was.

The Admiral scratched the back of her head, "Uh…I don't really remember honestly. I only read one of the letters."

Chao Li grabbed the woman's shoulders and shook her back and forth, "You dumbass! How could you not read the letters?!"

Amaya head-butted her bodyguard, causing him to stumble back and let go of her. "I didn't feel like reading the rest jackass!"

"You didn't tell me?!" the gray eyed male asked again, rubbing his forehead to stop the pain from the surprisingly powerful head-butt.

Red eyes narrowed, "I already told you it's because it wasn't a big deal! The only person who knew is Yuki and the reason she knew is because she was the one who opened the letter."

Chao Li finally calmed down but scoffed out, "Probably thought it was from her boyfriend Konzen."

Kenren heard the aggressive bodyguard and remembered his adventure yesterday. "Ah, I've remembered," he looked to his friend who was still sitting on the floor. "I've met the child that Kanzeon was entrusted with."

"Is it Goku you're talking about?" Tenpou asks, ignoring the confused looks he saw on the woman's and bodyguard's faces.

"Yeah, that was my first time meeting someone with golden eyes," the General said as he looked back to his interaction with the child. "Isn't that too harsh on him? Just because he is a heretic he has to wear those shackles that weigh over 80 kg."

"Wait a damn minute!" Amaya interrupted the serious moment. All three men looked at her like she grew a second head. "Is this the kid I heard about being my illegitimate child with you?"

Kenren chuckled, "You heard about that?"

"Bastard!" the woman threw a nearby book at the man's head. "Why did you go around saying that?!"

"I didn't think it would go around that quick," Kenren shrugged as he dodged another book aimed for his head. "Or that you would hear about it," he added.

Chao Li was in the background, trying to figure out how his ward could become pregnant without him noticing. Didn't a woman's stomach distend during the nine months? At least, that's what he read in one of Tenpou's books.

"How did you hear about it anyways?" the Field Marshall asked innocently, quite curious how his oblivious Admiral heard the rumor.

Amaya stopped throwing the books at the idiot General to tell the lazy man her story, "Yuki and I met up when I went to turn in those overdue papers I found…"

 _-An Hour Ago-_

Amaya was walking down the hallway, holding the stack of overdue papers she found in her superior's office when she was cleaning. She knew she was going to get an earful from the person who deals with these kinds of things but they should know better to give it to the Field Marshall. The only thing he cares about is his books and his collection from the World Below.

The Admiral looked up when she saw a familiar person in the hall and smirked. "Yuki!"

The woman who was called looked behind her and smiled brightly when she saw who it was. "Aya~! What are you doing here?" the eldest sister asked as she walked up to her sibling.

"Tenpou didn't turn in these papers on time and I just found them a while ago when I was cleaning his office," Amaya said with an annoyed look. "I swear he's hopeless."

"Don't say that! He seems really nice," Yuki defended the hoarder even though she only just recently met him.

"Yeah, you say that until you have to do all the work for both him and the General!" the Admiral growled out.

"At least it isn't boring," the slightly shorter woman reminded. She knew her sister didn't hate the two men above her in rank since they keep her occupied and almost out of trouble. It was never a dull moment in the Western Army.

"Yeah. Oh, I need to ask you something. When did those flowers in the back-," Amaya started to ask but was cut off when she saw a group of two slightly older women were looking at her with disgust in their eyes. Yuki saw as well and was confused. Those two women were normally the nicest in the building.

When they continued to glare, Yuki's protective instincts kicked in and she approached the two. "Is there something wrong?" she asked as politely as she could, trying to hold back her anger.

"Yes, where is your child?" one woman directed the question to the youngest sibling.

Both sisters were very confused. "What?" the secretary blurted out.

"I don't have a child or a significant other," the Admiral said, slightly annoyed about this situation.

"We heard you had an illegitimate child with Kenren Taisho," the other woman explained. "So we were wondering where said child was if he was not with you."

Red eyes narrowed at the name given as she lowly snarled out, "Kenren…"

Yuki, however, could not hold back her smile and slight giggle from coming out. She knew about her sister's feelings for the General even though she never met the man but she trusted he was a great man from all the things her sibling told her about him.

Before the eldest could explain that there was no child involved, she was interrupted by the young woman next to her. "Sorry, but I need to go fix that problem," Amaya said as she smiled to the now confused women. "See ya at home Yuki."

The secretary knew what her sister was going to do and ran after her, "Aya! Don't you dare hurt Kenren Taisho!"

"I won't! I'll make sure to rip his tongue out so he won't speak nonsense anymore!"

 _-Present-_

"I don't even know what the child looks like damn it!" Amaya yelled as she continued to throw the books she stacked an hour ago.

Kenren dodged the flying books aimed for him and smirked, "He's cute~!" That only seemed to fuel the fire in the woman attacking him as she threw the books quicker and definitely harder.

As the two 'children' continued to fight, the Field Marshall thought about the little boy he met. True, he is cute but the people in Heaven were never kind to heretics. They never allowed heretics to stay here, even if they were cute. In a sense…

Goku is quite the same as Nataku.

 _Voices. Hurtful words coming from them. Please stop._

" _You're heretical!"_

" _You're a heretic!"_

" _I never gave birth to such a monster!"_

 _Stop…_

" _How could this have happened?!"_

 _A flash of my father's cynical smile._

 _Stop._

" _Monster!"_

 _STOP!_

"Nataku!"

The blonde woke up when he heard his name pierce through the nightmare. "Huh?" he looked around to see who screamed his name. He was surprised to see bright golden eyes staring right back at him. "You?"

"Ah, thank god!" Goku exclaimed in relief. "You haven't opened your eyes and I've been thinking what I should do. Are you okay?"

"Ah…yes," the Fighting God meekly replied, still surprised that the boy he met a few days ago was there.

Satisfied with the answer he was given, the brunette looked around the room they were in. "Hey, is this your room?" he asked. "How terrible! You're injured and they put you all alone in this dark room."

Nataku sighed as he slowly moved into a sitting position, "It's okay. It's like this all the time. No one would care anyway to what happens to me."

He was startled when his visitor slammed his hand on his bed and yelled, "What are you talking about?! There's no such thing!"

Nataku stared at the heretic in shock. No one told him anything like that.

"That's why I came over just to meet you, Nataku!" Goku smiled brightly to show his sincerity. "I was so happy when you said I was 'great'! I was much happier when we smiled and said 'see you again'."

The blonde was at a loss of words. "Really?" he stuttered out. "Hey! Once I recover, I'll show you around here in Heaven. I'll take you places that no one knows, a place where tall trees grow. A place where lots of wild berries grow."

"I'm going I'm going I'm absolutely going~!"

"Ouch!" Nataku suddenly hunches over, grabbing his shoulder in pain, clearly not fully recovered.

"Hey, if you don't feel well, I think you should sleep," Goku turns to the door, "I'll go call someone…" but is stopped by a hand grabbing his wrist.

"It's okay," the Fighting God stares into gold eyes, almost pleading, "It's okay. Stay here."

The heretic smiles back and says, "Sure."

"Master Konzen! Lady Yuki! I never knew that you two were the kid's keepers!" a servant, who was expecting someone to pick up the child, exclaimed as he saw the blonde and his secretary with her bodyguard in tow.

"We are not his keepers. We are his caretakers," Konzen corrected the servant with a scowl, clearly annoyed with the man.

Sensing the male's bad mood, the short woman jumped in, "Ah! Sorry for the trouble he caused. We'll take him out of your hands now."

The servant showed the way to where the little boy was and opened the door. The blonde entered first and said, "Oi, monkey! Let's g…" he stopped when he found the child.

Yuki peeked in when her boss stopped speaking and nearly squealed at the sight. Her little monkey was sleeping, his head on the edge of the bed as his body was sitting on the floor and his friend was sleeping on the bed. She so badly wanted to take a picture!

Behind her, Yun Li saw his ward's episode and rolled his eyes. She is too easily entertained.

Konzen scoffs but lets a small smile grace his lips as he mumbles, "Two small animals…"

 _Somewhere in Heaven_

"There's a dangerous factor?"

"Yes. A rumor says someone has doubts about the Upper Level's movement. He must be a small fry, but if he can threaten this plan…"

"So, I think that our actions have gone too far. Should we cancel this plan or should we go on with it?"

"Fine, dispose of this person somehow as soon as you find him."

"Yes."

"Is there any problem with Nataku Taishi? I heard he has gone too far with his mischief."

"No," a deep voice rumbled through the room. "He's an excellent weapon. Looks like he acts a bit arrogantly sometimes but, he will never disobey me…because he is a very obedient son."

"Hey Konzen. There are a lot of people down there. What's happening?"

The blonde looked up from his paper he was reading and behind him to see the heretic looking out the window. He turned back to his paper with a sigh, "There's a party the day after tomorrow and they're doing the preparations. It's Tentei's birthday."

"A festival?" Goku asked with bright eyes.

"No night stalls though. You should stay here quietly…" Konzen looked up to see the boy staring at him with begging eyes, complete with dog ears and a tail. Seeing as he couldn't say no, the male growled out, "Do as you like."

"Yay~! Festival~! Goku exclaimed in joy but stopped when he remembered something. "AH!"

The blonde jumped at the scream and glared at the child, "What is it noisy saru?!"

"I forgot to tell Nataku my name last time! And just when I got a name!"

"Isn't it alright?" Konzen interrupted the heretic's freak-out session. "You can tell him the next time you meet him. You're friends aren't you?"

Realizing his caretaker was right, Goku lightly laughed with a boyish smile, "Yeah, you're right!"

 _The Next Day_

Goku stared at the big group of people as he walked between Konzen and Yuki, Yun Li walking behind the small 'family'. The young child never saw anything like this. He spotted a food stand and tugged the hand holding his, "Yuki! Can I get some food?"

The kind woman looked down at the child with a warm smile, "Of course my dear!"

"Yay~!" the heretic exclaimed.

"Just don't wander off Goku. It's the biggest festival in the Upper World so you'll get lost easily," Yuki said just as she felt the hand in hers let go.

Konzen just so happened to see the child walking off and grabbed his hair before he made it too far. "Don't go wandering off when Yuki just told you not to!" he growled out.

Somewhere at the festival, a beautiful woman yawns in boredom. Her assistant sweat drops at the action, "Kanzeon Bosatsu, you're being too indecently open."

"But I'm bored!" Kanzeon whined. "Why do I have to attend that old buffoon's birthday party? Plus," she looks at the crowd of people attending the festival, "this banquet itself is mainly to check how much the Upper World people are pledging loyalty to him, right? Makes me laugh…"

She then sees a small crowd of black hair enter the crowd, "Ah, but it seems like I'll get to observe an entertaining performance this year."

"Huh?" her assistant looked to where the Goddess was looking. He was very surprised.

In the crowd were Kenren, Tenpou, Amaya, Chao Li, Konzen, Goku, Yuki and Yun Li.


	5. Chapter 5: The New Friendship

**Weasel-Chan: Hey~! Another update~! :D Yay~!**

 **I hope you enjoy it because this is when everybody meets up~! This is one of my favorite chapters to write so far :3**

 **Disclaimer: We don't own Saiyuki.**

Chapter 5 – The New Friendship

The heretic child looked around searching for a familiar head of black hair. "Yuki?" His golden eyes scanned the crowd. "Where's Yuki?"

" _Quiet! Be Quiet! God is about to speak!"_ a servant in the tall building yells in the microphone.

"Goku, be quiet during God's speech," Konzen says, looking down expecting to see the child but sees his secretary holding thin air. "That bakasaru!" he yells out.

Yuki jumped from the sudden yell and looked at her boss with wide eyes, "K-Konzen, what's wrong?"

"Where the hell did he run off to?!" the blonde continued to yell as he frantically looked around for the heretic.

The kind woman was confused to who the blonde was talking about. Clearly everyone was here. She squeezed her hand that held the boy's but was even more confused when she didn't feel anything. Her heart started to race when she looked down and didn't see the boy that was there just a second ago. "Ah! Goku, where did you go?!" Yuki screamed. She started to freak out and cry in her panic. "Why did he leave? Oh, I'm a horrible caretaker!"

Yun Li, who was standing next to his ward, tried to calm her down. "There there Lady Yuki," he says with an expressionless face, "I'm sure he is nearby."

Konzen, after figuring out that Goku is not nearby, looked to the crying woman and felt bad. It was partially his fault that she reacted this way. Him yelling only made it worse. He had to calm her down so he walked up to the woman and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Come on," he tried to say in a calming tone but came out sounding agitated, "let's go find that stupid monkey."

Yuki looked up at the man and nodded with a smile. Her boss was right to stay calm in a situation like this. She had to stay positive so she could think more clearly instead of panicking.

Konzen let go of her shoulder and turned to his left to go find the child, "Stay close. We don't need to lose each other in this crowd as well."

Yuki obeyed, following close behind the blonde as he zigzagged around people in the crowd, her bodyguard silently following her as well so he doesn't lose her. She just hoped Goku was alright.

In the tall building about two stories below God, bored violet eyes looked down at the crowd of people. He didn't understand why it was such a big deal to come to these formal events. He just wished they would end quickly.

"Nataku, you seem bored."

The blonde boy turned his head to look behind him, "No, not really father."

Li Touten smirked darkly, "Listen Nataku. Be sure to take a good look at this ceremony. Soon, I will be the one to stand in that God's position and the one to inherit my position will be you."

The War God turned back to the crowd and let a deep scowl on his face.

"Understood?"

He gripped the railing tightly but replied, "Yes sir."

Oh, how he despises his father's eyes.

" _It's been a long time since a war took effect on this land. Annihilation and defeating evil is Heaven's will! It's a loyalty the subjects must show-"_

Goku continued to look around for Yuki and Konzen. His gold eyes scanned the crowd but could only see a few people. Being small had its difficulties. "Where in the world is Yuki? If I stray from her, I won't get any food!" He turned around, "Maybe she's over he-ACK!" but bumped into someone causing him to fall down on his butt.

"What's with this dirty brat?" a dark haired male growled out.

"Quit running around!" his buddy yelled at the boy.

"What the-?! You were the ones who came bumping into me in the first place!" Goku argued to the two men. He was going to apologize but these guys were big jerks.

"Huh?" the blonde man looked at the boy with shock. "Hey! This brat has golden eyes!"

His friend, not wanting to believe his friend, looked and was shocked as well when he saw the child's eyes. "You're right! Then this guy is the heretic creature that was brought from the outer world."

"So he's the unknown kid who that obstinate and unsociable Konzen Douji patronages."

"Ah, don't forget that harlot of a woman Yuki."

"They probably took this kid in because she can't have any children."

"Heh, probably from all the men she had."

Goku couldn't take it anymore. He didn't understand much of what was going on but he knew these guys just insulted his two caretakers. He let his instincts take over and kicked the closest guy's leg.

"Shit!" the man cursed, kneeling to hold his leg in pain.

The heretic pointed an accusing finger at the man, "Y-You just said something bad about Yuki and Konzen, didn't you?! I won't forgive whoever badmouths them!"

"You fucking brat!" the man growled as he stood up and charged at Goku ready to punch him. Goku put his hands up in front of him ready to defend himself but the fist coming his way was stopped.

"It's tasteless of you to use violence against an undisciplined child," Tenpou reprimanded as he let go of the man's arm.

The crowd of people backed away from the new guest in shock, gasping out, "General Tenpou of the Western Army Unit?!"

Goku just exclaims in joy, "Ten-chan!" He was excited to see his new friend.

"Before blaming it on a 'brat', please look back and renovate your immature attitude," Tenpou politely insulted with a smile. He wasn't going to let anyone criticize any child that didn't know better.

"What's a military officer talking big?!" the dark haired grumbled out, his shock replaced by anger how the Field Marshal was acting.

" _Now is truly the time for Heaven sent opportunity-"_ the announcer was getting nervous by the commotion going on below him.

"What's all the fuss about?!" one servant growled out, looking down to see what was going on.

Another servant joined him, looking at the crowd in disgust, "In front of God!"

A military officer, being sent to find the commotion, found the group causing it. They immediately spotted the golden eyed child. "Who's this dirty brat?! Throw him out!"

Another officer grabbed the child. "Uwah! What are you doing?!" Goku yells, struggling to get out of the hold. He resorts to biting the man's arm, "Let go!"

"GYAH!"

"Shit, seize him!"

"Wait a minute, that child is…" Tenpou tried to stop the men but they didn't get far. The man going after Goku was kicked down by a foot connecting to his chest.

"Hey," Kenren greeted with a bored expression. Once he figured out the tension in the air, he grew a cocky smirk. "What's up? This is turning out to be interesting. Let me join too!"

"Ken nii-chan!" Goku exclaimed with a smile.

Tenpou just smiled at his friend, "Seems like a person to make matter worse showed up."

During their greeting, more guards appeared around them. A blonde man spoke up interrupting their small talk, "Even if you are General Kenren, we won't allow you to use violence in front of God!"

"Ha!" Kenren laughed at the man, "I was bored the hell out of my mind listening to that old geezers fuckin' dull speech. It's a good opportunity to shake off my sleepiness." He then opened his arms and smiled stupidly, "Whoever holds a grudge against me from daily life, come against me all at once!"

"There you go again, challenging them…" Tenpou sighed out not believing his friend is doing this again.

"Finally! I call first dibs!" a familiar female voice pierced through the crowd.

The group of people parted to allow the woman and her bodyguard to pass through. As she walked through, the crowd mumbled under their breath, "The Admiral?!" They didn't dare speak up in fear that her temper would flare.

Kenren looked at his challenger and smirked, "Hey sweet-cheeks! What are you doing here?"

Amaya sent an annoyed look his way, "Don't call me ridiculous names dumbass!"

"I'll call you whatever I want to my adorable midget!" Kenren threw back but felt the front of his shirt be crumbled up by a fist. He looked down to see narrowed red eyes only a few feet away.

"Want to rephrase that General?"

"Hm, nah I'll stick with what I got."

"I am going to enjoy beating the shit out of you!"

"I don't think you can handle me sweetheart~!"

"Wanna bet?"

"An Admiral can never beat the General!"

"Rank doesn't mean shit!"

"Hey!" a guy from the crowd calls out but the two military officers continued to fight. "Damn it," he growls out. "Are you ignoring us?!"

Before he could react, two gloved fists connected to his face causing him to fall back. "Shut up!" the two officers yelled but their actions caused the rest of the angry men to attack.

"Bastards!" Amaya growled out as she kicked a guy in the stomach. "This is all your damn fault Kenren!"

Behind her, Kenren was laughing away as he punched men coming his way. "This is so much fun! Hey Chao Li, come join us!"

The bodyguard, who was standing next to Tenpou with his arms crossed, shook his head, "No. I'm not getting involved with you two idiots."

He moved a little so a guy wanting to join the brawl could pass by but was suddenly punched in the face. Holding his face, he looked to see who punched him and saw a familiar face. "Oops~! Sorry, my fist met the wrong face," Amaya teased with a victorious smirk. She wasn't going to let her bodyguard call her an idiot.

"You little bitch! I am going to end you!" Chao Li snarled out. He pushed his way through the guys in the brawl, ready to get his ward back. In range to kick the woman, he was smirking until his foot met another that wasn't the Admiral. He managed to knock down a man who walked in at the wrong time.

Without meaning to, Chao Li ended up joining the fight. "Damn it! This is all your fault Amaya!"

"My fault?! You joined at your own risk stupid! Don't go blaming others for your own mistake!"

"At least we are working off all that food we ate last night!" Kenren tried to stay positive in their situation.

"You were the one who ate the most Kenren," Tenpou chimed in, still safe from the fight on the sidelines.

"Shut up! You're not helping!"

As the fight and argument continued, bright gold eyes watched in amazement as the violent trio fought off the angry crowd. 'Wow! Those four are amazing! It looks like so much fun!' Goku thought. He wanted to join them in their fun.

He saw a guy approaching the Field Marshall from behind in an aggressive manner. "Ah, Ten-chan! Watch out!" the child yelled, jumping to his feet and charged at the man. He leaped into the air and landed a swift kick to the man's face, the man falling to the ground unconscious.

Feeling the child land next to him, the General looked back and smirked, "Nice going chibizaru!"

"Don't call me saru!" Goku growled out in annoyance. Konzen already called him that. He didn't need another person saying he was a monkey.

" _And the situations brought out were all…_ " "What are they doing?!" _…"Dare to ummm…"_ "Hurry up and stop the clamor!" God tries to continue with his speech but with all the shouting his servants were doing mixed with the commotion going on below them, he couldn't concentrate long enough to finish.

Nearby in the tall building, Goujun watched as the riot continued but spotted a familiar face. "That man again…" Why does he always find him when there's trouble?

In another room, Li Touten was listening to all the racket below from the fighting. He turned towards a servant who just walked in, "What's wrong?"

"Um, well…It seems like there are a bunch of people starting a riot in the hall," the servant nervously replied. Delivering bad news was never good especially to a higher up.

Nataku continued to look out by the balcony trying to find where the riot was coming from. His eyes brightened when he saw his friend he met a couple of days ago in the middle of the fight. "Ah!" he exclaimed quietly. 'It's him!'

"How absurd!" Li Touten said in disapproving manner. He looked to his son with an evil smirk. "Don't you think it's sad that we have so many vulgar characterized idiots, Nataku?"

Nataku gripped the railing, despising his situation. "Yes," he said but does not agree to. He felt caged. He couldn't even extend his arm beyond the rail in front of him. He was not granted access to the Free World.

He was his father's possession.

In her own room, Kanzeon was laughing at the fight. "See Jiroushin? Isn't it a fun entertainment?"

Her assistant shakes his head, wearing a dark expression, "I can't think anything but pity the God…"

"Well, isn't it ok?" she asked with a smirk. "You know how they say 'Fire and Fight are Edo's beauty'~!"

Jiroushin sighs mournfully, "Where is this place called 'Edo'?"

The fight finally won, the group of five returned to each other all with happy smiles in victory. Kenren was about to say something smart but something caught his eye. He looked to the Admiral next to her bodyguard and saw a small red mark on her face. "Oi! What happened to you Amaya?" he asked pointing to her cheek.

"Eh?" Amaya went to touch the bruise but winced when she did. "Oh, that. It's nothing."

"It doesn't look like nothing," Tenpou argued, slightly worried about his officer.

Amaya turned her head so her hair could try to hide the mark. She was about to say it was nothing to worry about but her chin was grabbed and forced her to stare into the gray eyes of her bodyguard.

Chao Li looked at the scuff to make sure it would only be a bruise. When it was all clear, he lightly pushed the woman's face back and scoffed, "Be more careful idiot."

"Oi! Stop babying me!" Amaya growled out.

"Are you ok miss?" Goku asked the woman. He never met her before but how Kenren and Tenpou treat her, they seem to really care about her.

Amaya looked at the child and smiled brightly, "Of course! It's just a bruise. It will go away in a few days."

"Ok!" Goku smiled back, believing the Admiral's words. She seemed pretty strong by how she fought the crowd.

"So, who are you?" Chao Li asked the heretic. He had a feeling who he was but he wanted to make sure.

"My name is Goku!" the little boy exclaimed in joy. "What's your name?"

"Chao Li," the lavender haired man replied with his usual scowl. "I'm her bodyguard."

Goku looked at the woman again with expecting eyes, "And who are you?"

The Admiral was staring back at the child with calculating eyes. She swears up and down she heard that name before but for the life of her, she couldn't remember. Suddenly she felt an arm wrap around her shoulder pulling her out of her thinking process.

Kenren, who was leaning on the woman, smiled at the child and chuckled, "This is Amaya but just call her Aya-Nee!" The woman in his arm could only think, 'Aya-Nee? What kind of name is that?'

"Aya-Nee?" the child tested the new name. He then smiled brightly and exclaimed, "Aya-Nee!"

"-ku! Goku!" a familiar angry male voice rung through the crowd. The group looked to where the voice came from and found an equally angry blonde coming their way. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"Oh~! It's the appearance of the owners," Tenpou said with a smile knowing how this was going to play out.

"Goku!" Yuki was the first one out of the crowd and ran straight for the young child.

"Yuki!" the heretic exclaimed right when the woman engulfed him in a tight hug.

"Oh thank God you are ok! Are you hurt?" the woman let go of the boy and checked him over for any cuts or scrapes.

Goku just giggled because of how his caretaker was acting. "No, I'm not hurt Yuki," he reassured.

Seeing that there was no damage to the child, Yuki sighed out in relief but lightly glared at him, "Please don't run off like that Goku. I was so worried about you."

Goku frowned at having the woman worry about him. He didn't mean to get lost. It just kind of happened. "I'm sorry Yuki. I promise I won't run off again," he apologized, waiting for the woman to continue to be disappointed in him.

Yuki saw this and let her glare disappear with a smile. She leaned in to give the child a kiss on his forehead to reassure him that she wasn't angry or disappointed. "It's ok Goku. I forgive you," she said with a bright smile that made the boy smile as well.

"But I don't!" The moment was ruined when the angry blonde appeared behind the heretic and grabbed his ears, roughly pulling them away from his head. "I told you not to stray away from us! You bakazaru!"

"OWWW~! I'm sorry!" Goku whined out in pain. He would never get used to this kind of treatment.

"Ah! Konzen, please stop!" Yuki cried out, hoping her boss would stop.

Konzen stopped when he felt an arm around his shoulders and was confused from the contact. "Now now Mister," a teasing voice came soon after. "Kids are wind's children. They're still at that age when they want to play."

The blonde smacked the arm around him away, "Don't touch me! Who the hell are you?"

"The rambunctious General," the tall man introduced without missing a beat. "That includes the lower half of the body."

Konzen just continued to glare at the man. He now had a face with a name and he does not like it one bit. "General Kenren I presume."

"You know it," Kenren smirked. This guy seriously had a stick up his ass but he wasn't going to let him ruin his fun.

"Ah! Aya, what happened to your cheek?!" Yuki exclaimed running towards her sibling.

"She wasn't careful and got hit during the fight," Chao Li answered for his ward making his way towards the other bodyguard.

"Shut up! It's not like it was intentional," Amaya growled out. She hated when her sister worried about her the most. She could handle Chao Li and Yun Li worrying about her but not her sister. She wanted to be strong for both of them and having her worry was not being strong.

Yuki wrapped her sister in a hug, "I'm glad you're not hurt badly."

Amaya felt her face flush in embarrassment. "Yuki," she grumbled lowly.

The eldest quickly let go and smiled sheepishly, "Sorry! I forgot you hate that."

"Awww~! Isn't that sweet?" Kenren ruined the moment with his comment.

"Shut up!" Amaya yelled at her superior. She was about to call him more insulting words but felt a pair of eyes glaring at her. She looked behind her sister to see narrowed violet eyes. Her own red eyes glared back, not liking how this guy is staring at her. "Who the hell are you staring at?"

"Aya!" Yuki whined out, nervously looking behind her to see how her boss reacted.

Konzen only needed that reaction to confirm his thoughts. Very loud and obnoxious. Kind of resembles his secretary. "Oh, you're the brat Yuki is related to," the blonde deadpanned.

"What'd you say punk?!" Amaya growled out.

"Konzen…" Yuki grumbled under breath.

Her sister heard her and a light bulb went off in her head. "Wait, you're that asshole Yuki works for, aren't ya?"

"Asshole?" An all too familiar sound of a hand meeting face resounded. Yuki face palmed at the meeting. She wanted it to be a bit better than this.

"Yuki, why did you smack yourself?" Goku asked his caretaker innocently. Maybe she was trying to kill a bug that landed on her face?

"Konzen-sama?! Lady Yuki?!" a blonde servant exclaimed in shock. He just arrived to the scene looking for the two when he heard their voices. "So you were at a place like this when I noticed you missing from your upper seat!"

Yuki looked at the servant, ready to apologize for disappearing but her boss spoke first. "These men are my company. I'll take responsibility for their clamor and leave the room."

"Hey! I am not a-!" Amaya began to protest but was silenced by a gloved hand. She looked up to see the General smirking at her, putting a finger to his lips. Her response was a roll of the eyes.

"W-Wait!" the servant stuttered out, trying to stop the man but his attempt was futile.

Konzen turned toward the exit and said, "Let's go."

The group looked at each other, not knowing what to do. It was Yuki, Goku and Yun Li who moved first to follow the blonde. A few seconds later, the military officers followed suit.

Tenpou managed to catch up to his old acquaintance. "Are you sure?" he asked. "We were the ones who started it on our own wills."

Konzen allowed a small smirk to cross his lips, "Hmph, I just made an excuse so I could skip this event."

Tenpou had to stifle his laughter on that response. His old friend is definitely changing.

The group of eight followed the blonde out of the large crowd of people, ignoring the stares from people. The Admiral was the only one who glared at the crowd, hating the stares but received a smack to the head by her bodyguard to make her stop her childish behavior. Everybody else walked like they owned the place.

They walked through the hallway familiar to the blonde and his small group until finally they entered his office. Konzen turned around and glared at the military officers. "How far are you bastards planning on following us?!" he growled out.

"You're the one who said, 'Let's go.'," Tenpou reminded his friend with an indifferent gaze.

Kenren peaked up behind the angry blonde and smirked childishly, "Now, now, mister. The only thing that needs to be hard is that 'thing'." The General chuckled, "This is some kind of destiny! Let's get drunk today!"

His smirk didn't last long because he was hit on his head by the blonde he was trying to be nice to. "Don't be too friendly!" Konzen gritted out through his teeth. He felt a headache approaching and he did not need this.

With the women, the eldest sibling gasped out in shock and felt her face flush in embarrassment. "Kenren, you shouldn't say that!" she scolded.

Her sister, on the other hand, was giving her superior a confused look and asked innocently, "What thing?"

Yuki hung her head in shame. Sometimes her sister was TOO oblivious.

"Well sweetheart~ I'll tell you all about it!" Kenren started, ready to embarrass his underling. "This 'thing' is when a man is-."

"Hey Kenren~ Goku wants to talk with you," Yuki interrupted, pushing the young child towards the man. She really didn't want her sister to freak out when she was told what it meant. Granted it would be amusing but she didn't want any more yelling.

Goku looked up at the General and cocked his head to the side in an innocent manner, "What were you going to tell Aya-Nee?"

Yuki squeaked at the question as Kenren smirked, "I'll tell you when you get a bit older kid."

The heretic frowned but let it go. He was just happy that he got to see his new friends all together. He turned to Konzen who was walking to his desk and said, "Konzen~! I'm gonna play with Ten-chan and Ken-Nii-chan!"

"No you are not! They are to leave now!" Konzen ordered, glaring at the two men behind the child.

Goku puffed out his cheeks but got an idea. "Yuki! Can I play with Ten-chan and Ken-Nii-chan?"

The woman had no will power to deny the child. Especially with those bright eyes looking right at her. "Of course you can dear," she caved.

"YAY!" the boy jumped in joy, exclaiming his excitement.

"What?!" Konzen looked at his secretary with wide crazy eyes. "They cannot stay! I already told him no!"

"Oh, but it's not like they will hurt anybody," Yuki shrugged her shoulders with a small sheepish smile. "Plus, it will keep Goku out of our way for a while if he plays with Tenpou and Kenren."

Konzen was about to retort, saying that they should still leave but thought about it for a second. If the military officers weren't here, the young child would always be whining and keep Yuki away from her work. If they stayed, they would get a lot more done.

He let out a loud sigh and turned back to his desk to sit in, "Fine! Do as you like. We don't have time to be messing around." He sat down, still scowling deeply, "I'll beat up whoever disturbs our work though!"

Goku jumped for joy once again when it was official he could play with his new friends. Kenren smirked at the little lover's quarrel thinking how much those two resembled an old married couple. His thoughts were interrupted when he felt something tugging on his arm.

"Ken-Nii-chan! Ken-Nii-chan! Let's play!" Goku said in a typical child-like tone wanting to play.

"Ok, what shall we play then Goku?" Kenren asked the kid. He honestly didn't know many games to play with young children.

"Dorokei?" Tenpou suggested a strategy type game. "How about chanbara?"

"Hey, I found a bat and a ball inside the storage last time," Amaya said with a bored expression.

"Baseball?"

"That sounds like it will be interesting."

A few minutes later after searching for the items, the group of friends were getting ready to play a quick game of baseball. Konzen and Yuki were still working on their paperwork while the bodyguards of the two siblings were standing nearby, staying out of the way but still have a good view of everyone.

"Oh! Me first!" the Admiral exclaimed.

"Pfft, why so excited princess?" Kenren teased but secretly thought it was adorable how the woman was reacting.

Amaya glared at the man, "Shut up! I didn't have enough time to play much when I was younger."

Yuki had to smirk at that since she knew her sibling had all the time in the world to play when they were younger. She just chose not to play.

Chao Li scoffed at the remark though. He also knew that the youngest sister had time to play when she was younger but always sported a rebellious side. He never figured out why she went all rebel though.

"Fucking idiot," he grumbled under his breath.

He earned a smirk from his partner next to him but unfortunately his ward also heard him. She gave him a nasty look but got into position to hit the ball. "Hey, throw the ball."

Kenren shrugged and threw the ball at the woman, not thinking much of it.

Amaya aimed her hit at her bodyguard and nearly hit her mark. She hit the wall right between him and his friend.

Chao Li managed to move his head at the very last second. He glared at the Admiral, "HEY! You meant for that to happen!"

"Of course I did! I wasn't going to be called an idiot by the likes of you!" Amaya retorted, her own vicious glare aimed at the tall man.

"You almost hit Yun Li!"

"So?! It's what he gets for being near you!"

Chao Li growled lowly in his throat. He marched his way towards his ward and grabbed the front of her shirt, "You bitch! At least apologize to him!"

"Why should I?! He knows the dangers of being our bodyguards!"

As the two continued to fight, Kenren managed to steal the bat in the woman's hand and sneak away. "Alright, let's try this again! Goku, throw the ball to me and I'll hit it ok?"

"Ok!" the heretic said as he grabbed the ball and got into place.

Konzen, trying to finish his work while blocking out the fighting, was just about to finish a document until he heard the ball be hit and his ink flew through the air, spilling all over his papers.

"Ah, my bad," Kenren drawled out with a blank expression. He didn't even seem to care that he ruined the blonde's hard work.

"Oh no…" Yuki whispered, clearly seeing the brewing storm inside her boss.

"Konzen~! Ball~! Pass it!" Goku jumped, waiting for his caretaker to toss it back to him. He was oblivious to the fact that somebody was about to die.

Konzen grabbed the ball and muttered out darkly, "You bastards." He was ready to see blood on someone. He reeled back his arm holding the ball and threw it, "I'll fucking kill you!"

"Wow!" the child watched on in amazement.

Kenren, seeing it as a challenge, reeled back the bat and said, "I can take this!"

Chao Li and Amaya, who were still butting heads, stopped to look at the fight and were slightly surprised to see the blonde throwing the ball.

Yuki and Yun Li, just shook their heads and prepared their heads for the loudness about to ensue.

Tenpou, who was sitting on the floor smoking, watched on and knew something bad was about to happen soon.

Not even a second later, the ball crashed through one of the windows and everybody watched on in silence.

Goku was the first one to speak, "Ah, you're naughty Konzen."

"Oh dear…" Yuki giggled but covered her mouth to hide it.

"Shut up! Kenren was the one who hit it!" Konzen argued back, clearly not seeing how childish this whole thing was.

"Oh please!" Kenren scoffed. "You were the one who was asking to hit it back!"

"If this idiot wouldn't have suggested playing baseball originally, none of this would have happened!" Konzen pointed at the Admiral accusingly.

"Hey!" Chao Li growled out. "Nobody calls her an idiot except me!"

Amaya smacked her bodyguard on the head, "Not even you can call me that!"

As the bickering continued, Tenpou looked out the broken window and had to let a small smile show on his face. The times were definitely changing and he wouldn't mind a change of pace.

"Well, you know what they say~," Kenren said in a teasing tone, "Good friendship is a beautiful thing~!"

The three voices of Chao Li, Amaya and Konzen could be heard as they yelled angrily, "NOT!"


	6. Chapter 6: The Punishment

**Red-Weasel-Chan: Here is the latest chapter of Saiyuki Gaiden~! I apologize for the wait. I've been overwhelmed with trying to find a place to move out and then work is being a jerk.**

 **But enough about me~! Here is the chapter you've all been waiting for~! :D I hope you enjoy because this is one of favorite chapters so far!**

 **Enjoy~!**

 **We do not own Saiyuki Gaiden. It belongs to the lovely Kazuya Minekura.**

Chapter 6 –The Punishment

 _It was beautiful. It was so unique and beautiful. It seems only a few people actually saw this beauty._

' _The secret places that nobody else knows about._

 _The places where tall trees grow._

 _And the places where lots of wild berries grow…'_

 _The blonde child was perched in a tree. His violet eyes were so full of joy and happiness as he saw what nobody else did. The trees leaves were so vibrant and lively. It wasn't like anything he's ever seen._

 _Laughter echoed through the branches by his company. The child looked and saw the guy he met a few days ago, his face spread into a smile. He was pointing to a nest of eggs from a bird, asking what they are and how they got there. The child took the time to explain to his friend what they are, enjoying the feeling that it was giving him._

 _It was so peaceful and relaxing. He had nothing to worry about._

 _It felt amazing._

' _Let's go together!'_

"…sama. Nataku-sama," a voice interrupted his dream.

Violet eyes fluttered open to see the ceiling of his room. He was disappointed to see it. He wanted to his dream. Not this.

"Your father has sent for you," the voice of the servant interrupted the silence once again.

Nataku narrowed his eyes at the mention of his father but got up, ignoring the servant for he had woke him up from his dream.

'Someday…' he thought as he moved to start his day.

* * *

"Ten-chan!" an excited voice rang in the room. "Where do I put these?"

The Field Marshal, who was looking through a book, pointed to a nearby shelf, "Just line them up on the shelf inside, please."

"Ok!" the heretic child said, balancing the stack of stuff in his short arms as he walked to the shelf.

Tenpou smiled as the boy did his job, "You're so helpful Goku."

"I know~!" a cheerful woman squealed. "He's so helpful when I have to organize documents as well!"

Tenpou set his book down and looked at Yuki, who was going through books on the floor, with a smile, "Really? Isn't he sweet?"

Yuki nodded enthusiastically like a proud parent. She was proud of the child she was in charge of and to hear it from someone else made her happy.

"I just dropped by because Goku begged me to and Yuki wanted to see her brat of a sister but why do I have to help you clean up your room?!" Konzen growled out, dusting the clean empty shelves.

"You look surprisingly good in that!" Tenpou laughed at the blonde who was wearing a white bandana with pink flowers. He turned towards the secretary with a smile, "Good job getting him to wear it!"

Yuki had to force herself to not blush. She had the bandana just in case Goku needed it. When they arrived at the officer's room, they ended up cleaning with the lazy man. Not even a few minutes in of cleaning, her boss kept on complaining about his hair getting in the way. That's when she offered the bandana and surprisingly he took it.

"She didn't make me! My hair got in the way and it was the only solution!" Konzen argued even though he secretly appreciated the kind gesture.

He also did like the bandana. It was cute.

Goku appeared next to the Field Marshal and asked, "Hey Ten-chan! Why isn't Ken-Nii and Aya-Nee here today?"

"They were helping me a while ago but then they had to go to a military gathering at the main building," Tenpou replied thinking back to the mess and argument that happened about an hour ago. He had to crack a smile at the thought of the two yelling at each other.

"Then why didn't you go?" Konzen asked as he took the bandana off to take a break.

"Because it wasn't my division that was called. The ones who were called were under the command of Nataku Taishi," Tenpou said, lighting a cigarette.

That raised eyebrows of the two adults in the room. "Isn't Nataku still under medical treatment?" Konzen questioned. That was the last he heard of the Fighting God.

Yuki gasped silently at the news. She looked at the child in sadness who was looking through the clean shelves. How could they do that to a child?

"Yes," Tenpou said, "but the upper levels have never cared about that. After all, he's their 'killing puppet'."

Konzen and Yuki could only stand there in silence as they listened. Both of them don't know much about the army so this was all new information.

"As you know, the main work of the army of Heaven is to seal Gods or people of Gekai with a harmful influence in Heaven," Tenpou began to explain. "To subdue an imprison those who would do evil but in the end they are just fighting those who are a threat to Heaven."

Konzen nodded while Yuki stared at the officer very seriously. They knew that the work of the army was to protect Heaven and all the people in it.

"However, Nataku Taishi is different. All enemies who are a threat to Heaven, Nataku will eliminate. It sounds stupid, but we as people of Heaven, cannot kill. Nataku Taishi is the only one authorized to. It's just one of the methods that the upper levels use to keep themselves from being 'unclean'."

"Hey Ten-chan!" Goku popped up between the Field Marshal and his caretakers, not realizing he interrupted a serious moment. He lifted a book in front of his face and asked, "This book! Can I borrow it for a little while?"

Tenpou blinked a few times before smiling at the boy and said, "Sure."

"You have an interest in books?" Konzen was slightly surprised the child read any books. It seems his only interest was food and annoying him. Yuki just stared at the chibi in awe at how adorable he was. Her little one is growing up!

The blonde's surprise was killed when he heard Goku talking about the book.

"Awesome~! The pork bun can fly in the sky!" Goku gushed as he looked through the book, his eyes sparkling in delight.

Konzen sighed and was about to look to his secretary to give her a look that said the child is stupid, hoping she would agree. He was surprised to see her kneeling by the boy with same look of excitement.

"Look Goku! There are lots of buns here!" Yuki pointed on the other page where a group of steamed buns were.

Goku looked and laughed, "Yeah! Hey look! Even the curry bun appeared!"

"Oh! It sure did!"

"Enough," Konzen killed the moment. He looked away from the sad eyes from the two but he would never tell them he thought they were cute gushing over the child's book. That would be something he would be taking to his deathbed.

"Would you like me to read it to you Goku?" Yuki asked, sitting next to the child.

"You would really do that?!" the heretic looked at the woman with bright eyes.

"Of course dear!" the kind woman replied with a motherly smile.

Goku jumped for joy and handed his caretaker the book, sitting down next to her so he could see the pages.

Konzen watched the two and shook his head but was struggling to not smile. It warmed his heart to see them like that. He loved seeing Yuki smiling and happy. Goku was also making an impact on him so seeing his happy as well was heartwarming.

Tenpou saw his friend shake his head and chuckled, "It's not too bad Konzen. I think Goku's already mastered the basics of reading and writing. He absorbs a lot if he's interested in it."

The blonde gave a side look to the military officer, "Hey…"

"Hm?"

"You have every book here, don't you?"

Tenpou looked at his friend with a confused gaze, "Huh? Yeah, it's my hobby you know. Everything from philosophy to more popular stuff."

"Whatever it is," Konzen looked to the child and woman, "just pick me something interesting to read next time I come over."

That slightly surprised the Field Marshal but he smiled nonetheless and said, "Sure. Gladly."

* * *

In another room nearby, two bodyguards could be heard talking. Well, only one could be heard because he was bitching about a certain woman.

"And then she told me to get lost! Can you believe her?!" Chao Li finished his story. He was sitting on the window, his right leg propped up next to him and his right arm on top of it.

Yun Li, who was standing across from the aggravated male, was leaning against the window and listening to the story. "Hm," was his only reply to the situation.

"Damn, sometimes I wish I could … I don't know! Punch her! Or something!" Chao sighed out after his anger settled. "You're lucky you have Yuki. You don't have to deal with Amaya."

"And yet you wouldn't have it any other way, right?" Yun asked with a knowing look.

Chao scoffed at the question and had to smile. His friend knew him so well. He knew that he loved the crazy woman and her stupid antics. He just had to vent at first then it hits him that it was quite fun. "Yeah. Got to have some kind of chaos in this boring place."

"Yeah," Yun agrees with a smile. "That's why I have you for that."

"Hey!" Chao looks at the man and sees a rare smile on the normally expressionless face. He let his own true smile show and lightly pokes the aqua haired male. "Hey, you should do that more often."

Realizing he let his true emotions show and his lover caught him, Yun Li looked away to hide his blushing face. "Shut up," he grumbled out.

"Come on~. You can do it~," Chao continued to poke the man as he teased him. He saw the blush and knew another smile was about to show. "Come on~. Please babe?"

The nickname did it for him. Yun couldn't stop his lips from curving upward into a smile. It faltered for a moment when he felt arms wrap around his waist but came back when he realized what was going on.

"That's better," Chao said, pulling the man in his arms closer.

Yun returned the hug, his heart in cloud nine. He doesn't know how this loud and obnoxious man did it but he always manages to make him break out of his emotionless self. It felt nice feeling this way.

Blue eyes peered out the window and watched the sakura petals flow. He wished this moment would never end.

* * *

In another building, a meeting was being held for a certain war god. He was feeling better and God summoned him. Around him were people who gathered to see him and what his mission was.

"They keep on sending more men to the front line…" one person mumbled, unsure of this decision.

"Ah, we don't have to worry thanks to the 'killing puppet' over there," another person said as he gestured to the boy in the middle of the huge room. "Nataku Taishi…"

"Silence," a servant next to God yelled to gain everybody's attention.

A few moments of silence passed until God spoke, "News has come in that there are people causing a disturbance on Earth. To overlook this would jeopardize our authority. Therefore…We order Nataku Taishi's forces to depart for battle. Understood?"

Nataku jolted at the order. So soon? He had no choice but to bow his head and say, "Yeah…"

"A moment please," a man's voice broke through the silent crowd. Everybody near the voice moved away to let the man through.

"Who is it?" God asked.

Kenren arrived out of the crowd and kneeled in a formal fashion to show respect towards the elder. "General of the Western Sea Dragon Goujun's Army, Kenren Taisho," he introduced himself.

Goujun, who was standing next to Li Touten, was surprised to see his General there. Nataku was also surprised to see someone interrupt. Nobody has done so before. Nearby, Amaya, who joined the General to the meeting, was trying to get his attention.

"Kenren!" she whisper-yelled but with no luck. What is he doing?! He knows better than to do this.

"What is the matter, General?" God questioned, keeping a straight face but was curious to hear what this man had to say.

"Well…" Kenren looked up at the Emperor, contemplating his words, "If I may be so bold to speak, but it would seem that the wounds Nataku Taishi sustained from subduing Gyumao have not fully healed. I beg you to consider giving my troops the appointment instead."

The crowd gasped at the offer. What kind of question was this?

Nataku looked at the man in shock. He now knew where he saw him. He was at the festival with that 'guy'. What is he doing here? Li Touten watched as the General caused a bunch of ruckus with an evil smirk.

"A mere soldier dares to…" one person growls out.

"Does a bastard like you really think he can take Nataku's place?!" another argues through gritted teeth.

"Not at all," Kenren brushed off easily as he stood up, "But I would like to think that I'm better than the lot that disappeared and came back without a single scratch."

"Wha?!"

"What exactly do you mean by that, Kenren Taisho?!"

"Kenren!" Amaya yelled above the crowd but it fell on deaf ears. She needs to keep somewhere hidden just in case it goes bad. She slowly moved closer to Li Touten in the crowd so her superior could see her.

Goujun could not believe his soldier was picking a fight here. "Kenren! Stop this insolence!"

"Ah wait," Li Touten interrupts the banter. He looks to the side in thought and says, "Kenren right? It's a puzzle how you can underestimate my son." He then turns to glower at the General, "My son Nataku is the perfect warrior. Such a small wound is nothing. He is prepared to sacrifice himself for the sake of Heaven. He is _eager_ for battle. Isn't that so, Nataku?"

Nataku's eyes widened for a second, but clenched his fist to stop himself from showing his true feelings. "Of course," he replied in his monotonous way when facing these kinds of situations.

Kenren looked at the boy with sad eyes. He had no choice but to follow orders. These people had no heart. They only cared about themselves and they used Nataku as a pawn.

Seeing there were no more objections, God nodded his head and said, "You may step down Nataku."

"…yeah," the War God resigns. He stood up and walked towards the exit but not before giving the General a light punch to the gut. "Thank you."

Kenren was shocked by that small action. That small punch spoke a million words. He didn't even need to see the boy's face to see what he was thinking. He already knew by that simple gesture.

When Nataku was out of the room, Li Touten was sneering at the man. "Well now, since you've finished," he looked to the nearby guards, "escort Kenren Taisho to be disciplined."

There was a hum of agreement from the guards as they approached the man. The crowd seemed to agree to the orders but there was one person who didn't.

"Kenren!" Amaya yelled but nobody seemed to hear her. She made a move to stop them but a clawed hand stopped her. She looked up to see her big boss shaking his head.

"Don't do it," he says. "It wouldn't be worth it if both of you were punished."

Amaya wanted to tell him he was wrong and stop her superior from being punished for something stupid but she also knew he was right. Her getting punished with him didn't do anything except cause more problems and more eyes on their unit. They didn't need that. Especially now.

The Admiral looked away from Goujun to see Kenren be escorted out, her heart heavy with guilt.

* * *

"Huh?!" a child's voice rang outside Nataku's castle. "I still can't visit Nataku? He hasn't seen anyone in ages. Is he really that sick? That guy…"

"Yes, at the moment I'm afraid you can't see Nataku-sama now," the woman Goku was talking too said. "You come every day too. I'm sorry…"

"I see," Goku sighed out in disappointment, "If he's that sick, I there's nothing I can do."

The woman smiled sadly at the boy and waited for him to leave but he made a noise like he remembered something.

"Ah! That's right." Goku pulled out a flower crown behind him and presented it to the woman. Tenpou told him that bringing flowers to a sick person was good and thoughtful so he spent all day making it just for Nataku. "Will you give this to Nataku for me?"

"Yes, I can do that," the woman replied with a smile, taking the crown.

"Thanks! And also my name is Goku. Please tell that to Nataku too!" Goku turned to leave, feeling good about what he did.

Behind him, the woman continued to watch the child leave with a smile. When he was out of sight, her smile fell from her face, a dark glower taking its place.

* * *

Underground in a prison to keep people, the General was sitting on the ground behind bars, his hands bound above him. He was sporting a lot of cuts and red marks from a whip. A large gash below his eye was still dripping of blood but it didn't seem to bother him. The silence around him was interrupted by two sets of steps coming his way.

Kenren looked up and sees two pairs of red eyes looking back at him. "Come for the grand tour?" he asks with a smirk.

Goujun narrows his eyes at the stupid remark, not believing this man is so stupid. "I always thought you were a fool," the superior officer said slowly then ended with, "but I didn't suspect you were this big of one."

The General just smiled at the insult, "Tiresome, isn't it?" He then turned his smile to the woman next to Goujun. "Amaya here knows all about it! Right sweetheart?"

Amaya looked away, not able to face the man properly. She didn't even notice the General's smile fell when she didn't acknowledge him. It kind of stung when she did that.

Noticing the Admiral had nothing to say, Goujun took the moment to toss the keys he had for the cell by the man's foot. "I'm your Commanding Officer. Why didn't you ask me before asking the Emperor? If it had been a suggestion from me, he might have listened."

"Is that so?" Kenren questioned in an almost sarcastic tone. He managed to grab the keys with his foot and started the process of freeing his binds. "I think it would have turned out the same. Besides," he grunted when the last bind was released, "I just had to say something out there, you know? Whatever it was…"

Goujun crossed his arms as he listened to what his underling had to say. "Even though you knew you'd end up here, it still had to be said?" He was trying to figure out why this man did what he did.

"This is nothing," Kenren shook it off to prove his point. "It hurt a lot more when Nataku punched me."

Amaya clenched her fist at the man's words. Did he not know the extent to his injuries?

"He always has to act like an adult when he's just a kid," Kenren looked up, thinking back to the many times Nataku had to do the missions with no say. "Seeing him act like that, is always so painful."

The General's words were stopped by a loud bang caused by the woman's fist colliding with the cell bars. "Do you not realize that it hurts to see _**you**_ like this?!" the Admiral yelled, her voice bouncing off the walls.

Kenren blinked in surprised by the woman's outburst. Goujun was also surprised but didn't stop her, sensing that she needed to say this.

You talk about how it hurts to see Nataku acting like that and I understand. What the higher ups are doing to him is not right but what you did, stepping out and asking the Emperor that, getting yourself like this because of your recklessness, is not right either!" Amaya argued, glaring at the man in the cell. She gripped the bar by her hand, feeling tears pricking at her eyes.

"Amaya…" Kenren breathed out, not sure how to respond.

"The Admiral willed her tears to go away and was thankful her voice didn't show she was breaking down. "I don't want to see you like this Kenren. Not now. Not ever."

Kenren looked deeply at the woman and saw her unshed tears in the dim light, automatically feeling guilty. How could he make her feel this way? He wished he could promise her that he won't end up like this again but that was a lie for both of them since they were in the army.

He decided to do the next best thing.

"I'm sorry Amaya. I'll try to stay out of trouble so you don't have to kick my ass."

Amaya couldn't help but smile at the apology. "You better you jerk."

Kenren chuckles, feeling a bit better now that the tense moment ended. "But I'll kick your ass at shogi," he threatens.

"Because Tenpou taught you how to play and he's a master!"

As the two officers continue to argue who is better, Goujun could only shake his head as one thought came to mind.

These two idiots were perfect for each other.

* * *

"Kanzeon Bosatsu," Jiroushin called to the Goddess. "Please look at these documents…" His voice trailed off when he saw what the woman was wearing around her neck. He blinked a few times before asking, "What is that?"

"It suits me, doesn't it?" Kanzeon prided with a wink.

"No way!" the assistant argued, couldn't believing she made it. "Did you make it yourself?"

"No, I didn't make it," the Goddess said as she turned the page of the newspaper she was reading. "I found it."

"You found it?!"  
"Yeah," Kanzeon nodded but felt sad for the flowers for she knew what they were for. "These flowers left their maker's hands and were thrown out."


	7. Chapter 7: A New Enemy Shows

**RedWeaselChan: Hello once again~! I hope you're not too angry with the wait but here it is~! :D**

 **And on Thanksgiving :3**

 **Happy Thanksgiving! I get to work~! YAY~!**

 **Anyways, please enjoy this chapter and have a wonderful day~! :)**

Chapter 7 – A New Enemy Shows

"Ouch! You idiot, that hurts!" an aggravated voice yelled out in pain. Another yelp of pain sounded after the voice finished his sentence. "Damn it!"

"Don't mind him Goku," Tenpou said as he was looking through a book. "Please tighten it good so that it does not come loose."

"Okay!" the child complied and tightened the bandages around the General.

"Gah!" the injured man gritted out through his clenched teeth. He glared at his superior and growled out, "Bastard! Do you have a grudge against me?!"

"I don't have a grudge. In fact, I can't help but pity you. You're concerned about other people's business and you recklessly advised the Emperor in a public place. You even laughed so frivolously when you had your ribs broken during your punishment," Tenpou lectured in a curt tone, slamming his book shit at the end.

Kenren raised an eyebrow, waiting for more yelling like a kid in trouble.

"To think…" Tenpou looked up to the ceiling with a twinkle in his eyes, "that there are subordinates who serve such a _stupid_ general."

Kenren let his head fall at how his friend ended his point. His friend definitely said some stupid things but this takes the cake. He looked to his left at the Admiral who was leaning against the desk with a deep scowl, obviously still upset about having to break him out and everything else he did.

The General sighed and turned his attention back to the Field Marshal who was still in his silly stance, "Yeah, I was wrong. It was foolish. It can't be helped since it's in my nature, right?"

Tenpou left his stance and let out a sigh, "I know. Because you're such a person, there are people who follow you. But it's a mistake to make an enemy of Li Touten. The order to dismiss you was given a short while ago."

Both military officers that weren't tied up were hoping this news would make the General realize what he did. They were disappointed when all he did was look up with a bored face and say, "Oh?"

Amaya was the first to react. "Idiot!" she yelled as she smacked the man's head. "Don't act so nonchalant about this! It's a serious matter!"

Kenren groaned out in pain from the hit, barely grumbling out, "Sorry…"

"I agree with our Admiral. We don't understand why you aren't more serious about this. If I could speak for both of us in a selfish way," Tenpou turned away so that the two couldn't see his eyes, "we can't work under anybody else."

Kenren's eyes widened slightly at the confession. He looked to Amaya to see if it's true but she was looking away as well. That was a sign that she didn't want to admit something that was true. "Guys…" he breathed out in a near whisper.

Tenpou took the opportunity to start walking towards the door. "I'm going out for a bit," he announced. "The injured person should wait quietly here, please."

"Hey, wait!" Kenren called out, craning his neck back to look at his retreating friend. "What should I do if I have to take a piss?!"

"Ew…" Amaya grumbled with a disgusted look.

Tenpou heard her and smirked. "If you get cystitis, I'll order Amaya to nurse you. Bye~!"

With that, the Field Marshal left before there was more yelling and arguing.

The Admiral was about to yell at her superior but he closed the door before she could say anything. She felt someone staring at her, slowly turning her head to see a pair of red eyes aimed her way. "What?" she asked grumpily.

"That wouldn't be so bad having you as a nurse~," Kenren smirked, thinking about the possibility of having the woman in revealing nurse outfit. Oh what he wouldn't give for that to come tr-.

Amaya smacked the General's head in the same place when she saw the perverted look in his eyes. "Don't even think about it," she growled out.

The hit managed to make Kenren realize something. He looked to the child who was just watching what was going on in confusion and said, "Oi, Goku."

"Eh?" Goku voiced out.

"Chase after Tenpou for me, okay?"

"Don't tell me he's doing what I think he's doing," Amaya said, sighing out at the end. "I'll go after him."

"No. We don't need you in trouble as well," Kenren stopped the woman. He didn't need Li Touten after the Admiral but that's his protectiveness over the woman coming out. "So, can you do that for me Goku?" he asked the kid again.

"Why?" Goku questioned innocently.

"Although he doesn't look like it, he's more hot-headed and impulsive than we are," Kenren explained but mumbled under his breath, "…something I can't quite understand."

Goku blinked a few times in thought. "Im-pul-sive?"

"In other words, he gets angry easily," Amaya clarified for the child, thinking about the encounter her superior will have with the stupid old man she despised.

* * *

Tenpou closed the door behind him and looked up in thought. He couldn't believe he was about to do this. He knew this was a stupid plan but it needed to be done. Li Touten had no right to make that dismissal and he was ready to tell him that.

"Don't think too hard," a gruff voice interrupted his thoughts. He looked down to where the voice came from and saw his Admiral's bodyguard. The man was sitting on the floor, his eyes narrowed in an annoyed manner as usual but maybe a tad more irritated.

"Head might explode if you do," Chao Li finished.

Tenpou couldn't help but let a chuckle escape his lips from the comment. The bodyguard was always not very good at making jokes or small talk. They always came out kind of gory and awkward unless you knew him. "I'll keep that in mind next time."

Chao Li nodded his head, secretly happy that went better than expected. "So, where are you heading to?" he asked in curious boredom.

"Just a walk to clear my head," Tenpou replied. "Please keep an eye out."

"Always."

Tenpou gave a short wave to the bodyguard and went on his way. About halfway, he was stopped once again by someone calling for him again.

"Marshal Tenpou!""

Tenpou turned around and saw three members of his unit running towards him. "Oh? You're all together…" he asked, kind of surprised to see so many of his soldiers together.

"Marshal Tenpou! Excuse me but is the rumor about General Kenren being dismissed true?" one member asked, hoping it wasn't true.

"Ah," Tenpou looked away passively, "It's already spread all over, huh?"

That set off the men's anger.

"What?!"

"How is that possible?!"

"I heard that General Kenren protected Nataku Taishi and was punished for it…and that it was Li Touten who gave the dismissal order, not the Emperor!"

"Tch, with his rise in social standing…" a low growl came from his throat. "Does he think he can meddle with us?!"

"Please stop," Tenpou interrupted the angry men.

The soldiers looked at their superior in confusion. How could he not be angry about this?

"Since we don't know who is listening, you don't need to get involved," Tenpou informed as he slowly started to walk on his way again. "That is my job," he finished with a small smile, picking up his pace to his normal walking speed. "Bye~!"

With that, he left his soldiers in shock as they watched him walk away.

* * *

"Marshal Tenpou. Here to see me personally? What can I do for you?" Li Touten greeted the officer in a fake way.

"Since sounding each other out will be a waste of time, I will go straight to the point," Tenpou said in a serious tone. "I want General Kenren's dismissal order withdrawn."

A tense moment lingered in the room, both men not backing down.

"I thought you would come," Li Touten sighed out but smirked as he gestured to the chairs behind the Field Marshal. "Well, sit down."

"I don't want to be rude but since when were you in the position to tell me to take a seat, Li Touten?" Tenpou retorted, his face stoic and unmoving.

Li Touten continued to have that evil smirk on his face, listening intently to what the military officer is saying but not for the right ways.

"First, you're not supposed to have anything to do with our army, correct? You can't possibly think that you have the authority to meddle in the affairs of the army's personnel, can you?" Tenpou challenged.

"The Emperor has already entrusted all affairs of the army to me," Li Touten argued as he stood up from his seat. "My orders are his orders!"

"Aren't you ashamed that your position was only obtained by using your son, Nataku Taishi?" Tenpou inquired, watching the man slowly approach him. He was surprised when his chin was grabbed by his opponent.

"You have such a pretty face," Li Touten commented with a leer. "It is said that you are General Kenren's right-hand man and Admiral Amaya's superior, but the reason why you cling to them so much is," he chuckled darkly, "you feel most comfortable being under your masters, right? There's some kind three-way love going on, right?"

That did it for the Field Marshal. "Excuse me," he said as he let back his right arm and punched Li Touten, sending him flying into the wall a few feet away.

"You insolent fool!" one guard yells out.

"Seize him!" another orders, running up to the military officer with the rest of the guards.

Li Touten slowly stood back up from his place, listening to the small tussle to get his visitor under control. "Hmph," he scoffed, rubbing his jaw where he was punched. "As always, you hold your head up high." Li Touten looked down at the man now pinned to the ground, his head between two blades. "Nice view down there, isn't it Marshal Tenpou."

Tenpou gave the man a glare, defiant to the end. He would never bow down to the likes of Li Touten.

"Do you understand? You don't have the right to glare at me like that," Li Touten growled out, taking one last step in front of the officer then kicking him in the face. " _Ever._ "

Tenpou felt his glasses fly off and heard them hit the ground. Luckily he had another pair in his office. His thoughts were interrupted when he felt the front of his head be grabbed and lifted up to make him look at his attacker.

"How about it? Should we put you through the same punishment as we did for your master?" Li Touten asked but didn't see an immediate reaction. "And when we're done with you, we'll go after your Admiral. Does that sound good?" He smirked when he saw the man's eyes widen at the mention of the woman. "That's what I needed to see."

Without anybody's knowledge, a small figure was looming behind Li Touten. They didn't notice him until the figure punched the man and he fell to the floor. "AN-NCH!" the child yelled as he landed a good whack to the man.

"Wh-What's with this kid?!" a guard stuttered out, confused as to why a kid came out of nowhere and punched his boss.

"Goku…" Tenpou mumbled as he stood up, about as surprised as the guards were to see the child there.

Goku ignored the stares and went after the closest guard near his friend and jumped him, punching him with no remorse. He wasn't going to let these bullies hurt Tenpou. "Leave Ten-chan alone!" he yelled with every punch he landed.

Tenpou just watched in shock at seeing the heretic there. "Goku! Why are you here?" he asked when the child slowed down in his beating.

"Ken Nii-chan and Aya-Nee asked me," Goku said, picking up the glasses that belonged to his friend off the floor and handing them to him. "They said to bring Ten-chan back."

Tenpou took the glasses from the child, processing the information that was just given to him. He then smiled, putting his glasses back on and shook his head. "Them two…"

Seeing his friend was ok, Goku turned his attention back to Li Touten who was just standing up from his own hit. "I won't forgive you for bullying Ten-chan!" Goku whipped his hand around and pointed accusingly at the man. "You poop-head!"

There was a stunned silence at the insult given to the leader in the room.

Goku didn't seem to realize this and just turned to the door, "Let's go Ten-chan!"

Tenpou, not really knowing what else to do, besides follow the heretic and say, "Right."

A few moments passed after the two left, the guards not knowing how to react as their leader sat down in his chair once more. "…Is it really okay to let them go, sir?" one guard was brave enough to ask and break the awkward silence that lingered.

"I don't care. He was pressed enough," Li Touten replied with a dark glower. "They are trash to be put out."

* * *

Outside, the two were walking back to Field Marshal's office when Goku heard light giggling. He looked next to him to see the culprit. "What's the matter Ten-chan?" he asked.

Tenpou could only chuckle more to see the innocent stare the child gave him. This child just called their enemy such a silly name. "Poop-head…" he mumbled before another fit of giggles escaped his lips.

The rest of the walk to the office was silence; except the occasional giggle by the military officer.


	8. Chapter 8: The Revealing

**RedWeaselChan - I apologize for the long wait. Stuff happened and then I got into another anime and went on a serious binge watch/read on it and then Kenpachi drama in Bleach.**

 **It was AWESOME!**

 **Didn't help any that DarkLullaby was also everywhere on her favorite shows and such.**

 **We apologize deeply.**

 **But here is the next chapter~!**

 **I hope you enjoy :3**

Chapter 8 – The Revealing

"So, what happened this time?" Konzen asked, looking at the four figures in front of him. Yuki, who was standing next to her boss holding a small stack of papers, was slightly confused at what she was looking at.

Two military officers covered in bandages, her sister standing between them with an annoyed expression, and Chao Li standing behind them with his usual glower.

This did not look good.

"Nothing much," Tenpou smiled. "We just had a few childish wrestling matches."

"Did we become manlier?" Kenren chimed in, his own goofy smile in place.

Konzen looked between the two men and narrowed his eyes. There was no way it was just them being stupid and wrestling. "Lies. You guys did something again, didn't you?"

The military officers tensed at the question but didn't let it show on their faces. They didn't want to tell the two what happened because of obvious reasons. Kenren and Tenpou don't want to worry their two new friends. Amaya didn't want to worry her sister. Chao Li just didn't want too much drama so he kept his mouth shut so they all agreed to keep it between them four and Goku.

The tense air was broken by the short woman by Konzen. "Did Amaya start it?"

"What?!" the accused woman screeched as the two men beside her chuckled. "I didn't do any-!"

"Yeah, she started it," Kenren instigated. "She did this to us."

"I did not!" Amaya denied, a bit flustered that she was being accused of such actions.

Yuki just shook her head at her sibling. "Aya, how many times have I told you to stop starting fights?" she scolded.

"But I didn't do it Yuki!" Amaya continued to preach her innocence but things weren't going her way.

"She did it," Chao Li spoke up. He had to hide his smirk as he saw his ward turn around and gape at him. "She started the whole thing. Punched Kenren first because he touched her ass when they were cleaning Tenpou's office."

Amaya felt her face flush at the story. She peeked a glance at her superior to her left and saw him smirking away. She wanted to smack it off his face but felt she couldn't do any damage because of her embarrassment.

"Then punched Tenpou because he kept on leaving ashes everywhere when he was done smoking," Chao Li finished as he walked towards the other bodyguard, feeling like a hit to the stomach was coming from the Admiral.

"And you did not get hit?" Yuki questioned, confused as to how the bodyguard managed to avoid her sister's wrath.

"I was taking a nap far away from little princess over there," Chao Li threw an evil smirk towards the blushing woman who grabbed the nearby desk ornament to throw his way.

Luckily the General stopped her before she could chunk it. Konzen sighed out, irritated at the argument going on. He just wanted to know what happened! "Enough!" he growled out, slamming his hands on his desk and stood up. "Stop playing games!"

"We aren't playing games," Kenren said with a straight face.

"We are telling the truth," Tenpou smiled innocently.

Konzen figured he wouldn't get anything out of the military officers. He looked to the child next to Yuki who was surprisingly quiet during the whole thing. "Goku. Do you know what happened?"

Goku put a finger to his lips and thought about it. Was this what Tenpou was talking about?

" _We'll keep this a secret from Konzen and Yuki because it's going to worry them," Tenpou said as they left the room of Li Touten's._

"I don't know because it's a secret!" Goku said in his innocent way that the military officers couldn't help but laugh at his answer. Konzen glared at the child, hoping he wasn't influenced by his old acquaintance so he could get some answers but apparently not. He heard light laughter next to the boy and shot his glare at the woman.

Yuki put a hand up to her mouth in an attempt to hide her laughter but it was futile. Between Goku's response and Konzen's reaction, she couldn't stop herself from laughing. "Well, at least you know he is loyal," she managed to say between giggles.

The blonde sighed out, his anger almost gone at the sight of a happy secretary. "Whatever. Just don't get Yuki or Goku involved in weird things," Konzen said as he grabbed a small pile of papers on his desk. "Although it seems to be unavoidable, it's not welcomed…" he mumbled under his breath to himself. "Speaking of weird things, what did you guys come here for today?"

Kenren's face lit up like he remembered something. "Oh, I almost forgot. There was a meeting for the army just now. Looks like Nataku Taishi is coming back from the Underworld."

"EH?!" Goku exclaimed in excitement. "Nataku is coming back?! I'll go! I'll go!"

"That's what I thought you're going to say," Kenren chuckled out. "Are you coming too, Yuki? Konzen?"

"No," Konzen answered for both of them. "We have to go deliver documents to Kanzeon."

Nearby, Goku didn't hear what one of his caretakers said so he went up to his favorite. "Yuki~!" he nearly yelled out, trying his hardest to keep his excitement down as he tugged on her sleeve. "Yuki! Are you coming with us?"

Yuki kneeled down to face the child at an even level. "I'm sorry sweetheart. I still have a bit of work to be done," she said with a sad smile.

Goku looked down, sad that the woman couldn't come with him to see his friend. "Oh…"

Seeing the sadness in the boy's golden eyes, she felt bad. She wished she could go but her work came first right now. She looked up to her right and saw her sister, a plan formulating in her head. "But I'm sure Amaya would love to go with you and Kenren!"

Hearing her name, the Admiral looked down at her sister with wide eyes. How did she become part of the equation?!

Goku didn't even notice the look of disbelief as he turned around to face Amaya with wide, bright eyes. "Really?!" he asked the woman, his excitement going up once again.

Amaya couldn't say no to those eyes. She couldn't say no with normal eyes from this child. She let out a heavy sigh, feeling herself cave in. "Yeah, I'll go with you."

The Admiral didn't even have time to react when she felt her arm being pulled, the heretic pulling her towards the door. "Let's go! Let's go!" Goku exclaimed, his tugging a bit more persistent now that he had a friend that would come with him.

"Yeah Yeah~," Kenren nonchalantly mumbled for the woman as he followed them. Amaya couldn't help but to smile at how excited the boy was to see his friend. It reminded her of her sister when she first met her bodyguard. They both had that same contagious smile and laughter that could make even the most evil of hearts share in the joy.

As the three most rambunctious of the group left the room, Konzen called out to his old acquaintance with a knowing look. Tenpou knew what the look was meant for. He knew what it said without any words that needed to be spoken.

"I am aware," Tenpou said with a side glance. "Aren't you going to suggest that it'll be dangerous for Goku to get too friendly with Nataku Taishi?"

Konzen didn't say anything. He wanted to say yes, to keep Goku away from Nataku but he didn't want to take away the boy's happiness. Even though Goku was almost always happy but Nataku seemed to bring out a bit more happiness then usual and Konzen didn't want to take that away from the boy.

Tenpou noticed the inner turmoil in his friend and the worried look on the secretary's face. He also didn't want Goku to get into any trouble because of the bad things going around the War God but he also didn't want to take away the boy's happiness. "Indeed, Nataku's father, Li Touten, is a greedy man. Full of ambition and with no worth."

Tenpou then aimed his eyes to the young child who was laughing away with the three troublemaking military officers. He couldn't help himself as his own smile appeared at the sight of the child's smile. "We all have probably already craved for that boy's smile…"

Konzen and Yuki smiled, not noticing that they did as they watched the heretic get his hair ruffled by the General, his laughter increasing.

Yeah, that boy's smile was worth everything.

* * *

"Kenren got dismissed as the Army General?!"

Kanzeon didn't even look up from the papers in her hand at the exclamation from her nephew. "Well, it's not official yet," she said in a nonchalant tone like it wasn't a big deal. "Because Tenpou Gensui is one step higher than Li Touten position wise but it's about Li Touten who's slacking off under the protection of Nataku's influence right now. It won't happen by itself."

Konzen looked down, his mind piecing together everything that has happened. The conversation that just went on in his office, the guy's injuries…

All of that because of Li Touten?

Konzen looked to his right at his secretary and saw her eyes wide with worry. Yuki was also processing everything she was given. Her first thought was to her sister and how she was dealing with the dismissal. She knew her sibling wouldn't allow anything to happen to the General because of her feelings to the womanizer.

Her second thought went to the woman's bodyguard. If her sibling went off on a rampage and tried anything reckless, he would be in the line of fire and both of them would be punished. Everything would just be turned upside down if Kenren would be dismissed.

And nobody has told them anything.

"No one has told us anything," Konzen voiced out their thoughts to his aunt.

Kanzeon looked up with bored eyes, "It probably wasn't worth talking about."

Konzen clenched his fists at the answer. "We are the only ones who doesn't know anything. I don't know about what the higher ranking officers are doing or inside pieces of information about the army. Yuki does not as well. We are like outsiders."

Yuki looked at her boss and saw his clenched fists. She became worried at how his brows knitted together but knew if she said anything, it would turn worse.

"Makes my blood boil," Konzen finished his rant, glaring at nothing in particular. He was just so angry that his new friends kept something as serious as this from him and Yuki. Didn't they trust them?

Kanzeon looked at her nephew with a raised eyebrow, never seeing him this upset over something. She then let out a half chuckle, tossing the papers on her desk, as she said, "Brat."

The blonde and the woman was surprised by the name.

"There are things you'll never find out if you don't look around, Konzen," Kanzeon lectured as she stood up from her chair. She walked over to the secretary and grabbed her shoulders, "You can also look around in secret. Ask your beloved secretary to snoop around as well." She then walked up to her relative and patted his shoulder, "You're not a kid who can't even read and write without someone telling you to. How many years have you lived?"

Both looked at the Merciful Goddess with calculating eyes. She was right on many levels. They had all the right things to use to look around and gain information. So why didn't they look around sooner? Maybe they were caught up in the boring everyday schedule Heaven offered them? Or they were oblivious to what was going on around the higher ups?

Their thoughts were interrupted by Kanzeon grabbing Konzen's hair like Goku did when the heretic first met him. Her next words struck both of them in shock.

"Can you stay like that chibi sun?"

* * *

In another building, lots of people could be heard gasping in awe at the return of the War God. Nataku and Li Touten were seen bowing in front of God, people surrounding them to welcome the heretic back. Nataku didn't like it one bit. He just kept to himself, hoping this would go by quickly.

"Good job Nataku Taishi. I hear you have again worked unbelievably hard," God complimented the boy with a small smile.

Nataku didn't even have time to answer before the man next to him opened his mouth. "I'll graciously accept those comments I do not deserve," Li Touten smirked as he bowed his head in respect to the elder.

Nataku narrowed his eyes a bit but caught himself. He was upset that his father answered and made him look like he did what he did. His father did nothing but he couldn't do anything about it. Nobody even spoke up for him like that one man before he left. It left him feeling empty and alone again.

"Hmmm," God nodded his head, "You can be excused now. Rest well."

"As you wish," Li Touten answered once again, standing up with his son and turning to leave. As the duo walked to the door, a child's voice could be heard above the crowd. "Nataku!" the voice called out. "Nataku! Over here!"

The War God looked to where the voice was coming from and he was surprised to see the boy he met a few days ago waving at him. His face lit up in a smile and said, "You!"

"Welcome back!" Goku said, still waving away so that his friend could see him.

Nataku was about to wave back but a hand on his shoulder brought his attention next to him. He looked up and saw his father with questioning eyes, intentionally looking right at him and not the child trying to get his son's attention. "Father?" he asked, confused with how he's acting right now.

"That child," Li Touten glanced at the child still waving, "He's the 'heretic child' born in the Underworld, is he not?"

Nataku finally understood what was going on. His eyes widened at the next words Li Touten said.

"Kill him."


	9. Chapter 9: A Heart to Heart

**RedWeasel: Hello guys~! Suprise! Two chapters :3**

 **I hope you guys are enjoying this story because it's about to get serious in a few chapters.**

 **Hope you guys brought your tissues and feels for next time because its about to happen.**

 **Love ya~! :D**

Chapter 9 – A Heart to Heart

"Kill him."

Nataku's heart stopped at the order. His father just told him to kill the one person he took a liking to. The one person that didn't treat him like a superior being. The one person who liked him for who he is.

"I've always known that someday he'll be a threat to you. Before that happens, get rid of him," Li Touten said with an evil smirk. When he noticed his orders weren't getting to his son, he decided to throw out, "Does Heaven need two 'unclean' beings?"

That seemed to get to the War God. Nataku looked away from the heretic calling his name and turned towards the exit, his father close behind still smirking away.

Goku panicked when he saw his friend leave. "Nataku? Nataku! It's me! Don't you remember?" The heretic started to push people out of the way, trying to get to the blonde child. "Nataku!" Goku's cries became desperate as Nataku refused to look at him, continuing to his way towards the exit.

"Nata-!" was the last thing the War God heard before the door behind him slammed shut.

* * *

In his office, Konzen's usually neatly organized desk was scattered with books and scrolls he found about the military system and the higher ups in Heaven. After his talk with his aunt, he decided he needed to catch up on what was going on. To see why Tenpou was so against the system and why his underlings always got into trouble. It was bugging him at how they never told him. So, he took his aunt's advice and started some research.

"So much stuff I never knew about," Konzen mumbled under his breath as his eyes scanned over the book he was reading. He barely had to start reading the first page and there was already a lot of things he never knew about. To the upper ranks of heaven, the army and even the military's way of dealing with things in the World Below. He now realized how uninvolved he was before Goku appeared.

He read that the military system went stagnant. Only the army was still active because law and order up here and down there keeps getting worse. So eventually, the army will come to hold the real power, even among the ruling class.

But only the toushin can take life.

A toushin is usually an impure being raised from his younger years and trained to take the position. Their lives are short. If they die, it's a disposable end.

Is Nataku's father using his son to put pressure on the ruling class?

If so, soon the next toushin will be chosen.

Konzen's eyes widened at the thought. What if Goku was the next successor? What other reason could there be for him to be here?

His thoughts were interrupted by his door opening. He peaked up and saw his secretary with five others behind her in the doorway. He didn't mind the others behind her because his eyes were focused on the child. He was clinging to the woman's dress tightly with a downcast expression and that didn't suit the boy at all.

Konzen decided to ask the obvious question. "Were you able to meet with Nataku?"

Tenpou was about to tell the blonde what happened but stopped when he saw the child that clung to Yuki walk up to the his caretaker and hugged him instead. That small action apparently sent a thousand messages to the blonde. He felt the sadness radiate from the boy in waves. It made his heart sink because this is not the child he was used to.

Konzen's thoughts were interrupted by a hand ruffling the boy's long hair. Konzen looked up and saw the sad smile from his secretary. Her presence seemed to get through the child because he nestled deeper into the grip he had on the blonde. Probably to hide the tears that threatened to show.

"What happened?" Konzen asked, looking straight at the woman in front of him.

Yuki sadly smiled and began to tell him what she was told by the military officers behind them.

The male officers all had to keep in their smart ass comments about how the two looked like a couple comforting their child. They kept it in for another time because right now, Goku needed them two. The youngest officer, however, was making a disgusted face, clearly not approving of what is transpiring.

Luckily for the small family, she kept in her own thoughts and allowed them to have their moment because even though she was oblivious to most things, she knew the heretic needed those two for comfort through this tough time.

* * *

Konzen walked into his room after saying goodbye to Yuki and saw the child where they left him. He was up against the wall, his knees pulled up to his chest and pouting. Normally he would just leave the boy like this but he was getting irritated with his moping around.

"How long do you plan on moping? Cut it out. Go to sleep," Konzen finally told the boy in an annoyed tone.

"I'm not moping," Goku grumbled out, clearly doing what his caretaker is saying he's doing.

"Yes you are," Konzen argued with a narrowed look but the child didn't see him.

The room went quiet for a few moments, both parties not wanting to say much for obvious reasons. Goku was mulling around the thought of what happened with his friend while Konzen didn't say much to begin with.

"I think Nataku hates me now," Goku said after a few more moments of silence. Konzen looked at the boy with a raised eyebrow, waiting for him to clarify. "Even when our eyes met or when I called out to him…"

"Don't you think there was a reason?" Konzen asked as he sat down on his bed.

Goku shot his head up at the question, "What reason?! I don't understand!" The heretic's eyes looked down once again as the last time he and the blonde child spoke went around his head. "Besides, he told me 'Stay with me.' He seemed so lonely. I've always been alone too so I really understand."

Konzen listened to Goku, watching him as the child grabbed his chest in pain. "When you're lonely, it starts to hurt here," Goku whispered but knew his caretaker heard him.

"Goku," Konzen finally said. "It was probably a mistake to bring you here to Heaven."

"Huh?" Goku looked up to the blonde with shocked eyes.

"You shouldn't be in a place like this," Konzen clarified. "There are people here with rotten characters that will use you. Tomorrow I'll go see Kanzeon Bosatsu so that maybe you can be returned to the world below."

Konzen glanced up to see how the heretic was taking the news, hoping he would be happy about the news but was shocked to see gold eyes glaring back at him. Goku turned to leave but his wrist was grabbed, causing him to stop.

"Goku wait!"

"No! Let go!" Goku yelled, struggling to get out of the hold.

"Listen to what I'm saying, you idiot!" Konzen argued, trying to get through to the child.

Goku gritted his teeth, "Why are you saying this?! I just became friends with Ten-chan, Ken-Nii-chan, Aya-Nee and Chao Li. I even became friends with Yun Li. You even gave me a name and Yuki is the best. And I even made you mad but you didn't tell me to get out!"

Konzen was shocked at the small rant the child had. He didn't know Goku was thinking so much into it. He thought he was just upset about the whole Nataku ordeal.

When Goku didn't hear a response, he got angry again and struggled against the grip on his wrist. "I said let me go!" he yelled, using a lot of force and sent the blonde flying into the wall. "Ah! Konzen!" Goku exclaimed, running up to the man he just threw. "I'm sorry Konzen! Hey, are you alright?"

Goku was startled when he felt a hand grab his, the gentleness surprising him. The next words shocked him even more.

"I'm not the sun."

"Konzen?"

"By assuming that things were different, I behaved like a spoiled child, going on with a tedious and lukewarm everyday life. I don't have the worldly knowledge that Tenpou, Kenren, Amaya or Chao Li have," Konzen looked up and actually let a smile cross his features. "And yet, it seems I've come to think about what I can do. It's because of you."

The blonde was ready for some tears, some kind of emotional breakthrough but he got angry when he saw a dazed look on the boy's face. "Konzen is weird! Did you hit yourself?" Goku asked innocently, concerned for his caretaker's wellbeing.

Konzen's smile fell immediately after hearing that. He refrained from mentioning that the child threw him only a few seconds ago. Instead he said, "If you think I'm weird then take the blame for it and stay here."

That struck a chord with the heretic. He thought his caretaker was trying to get rid of him but he was proven wrong. This easily angered man wanted the annoying child to stay. Goku let a bright smile cross his features and said, "Ok!"

The two went quiet for a bit, the moment still lingering. Goku was sitting next to Konzen, just thinking about the whole thing. Konzen was just happy his company wasn't moping anymore. The moment was interrupted with the child opening his mouth.

"You know, when I first saw you the very first time, I thought 'How pretty! If he smiled, he'd be even more pretty.'" Goku chuckled before he finished, "It really doesn't suit you."

Konzen felt his eyebrow twitch in annoyance. "You really want to be killed, don't you monkey?" he growled out.

"But, I liked Yuki the first time I saw her."

Konzen's anger went down significantly at the mention of his secretary's name. She always had that kind of effect on him.

"To the way she spoke and the way she looked, I liked everything," Goku continued with a boyish smile. "What about you Konzen? What did you think when you first met Yuki?"

Konzen wanted to say so much. So much so that his mind went to the first day they met.

-Few Years Ago-

 _Konzen was in his office like any other day, doing paperwork with a bored expression. The only interesting thing that happened today was he was able to make his favorite tea. He called it a good day so far but he was getting bored._

 _He looked at the clock for what seemed like the thousandth time today and let out a long sigh. Only five minutes passed since the last time he looked._

 _The quiet room was interrupted by the sound of the door opening. Violet eyes looked to see who came in and scowled. It was his aunt._

" _Hello my lovely nephew~! How are you today on this fine afternoon?" Kanzeon greeted with a big smile like she was hiding something._

 _Konzen caught on to it really quickly. "What do you want?"_

 _Kanzeon's smile didn't falter for she predicted that kind of response. "Well, I have a little surprise for you~."_

" _I don't want it whatever it is," Konzen curtly replied._

" _Well, that's too bad because I already said yes."_

 _Konzen felt his eyebrow tick in annoyance. Why does his aunt have to be like this? Why couldn't he have a normal relative that didn't pull any pranks on him? Instead, he got Kanzeon._

" _Now, the reason why I got this is because I noticed how swamped you are with work," Kanzeon gestured to the perfectly clean desk, "So, I took the liberty in hiring a secretary for you."_

 _Konzen glared at the woman. He was about to start yelling at her but she beat him to it._

" _So, I would to introduce you to your new secretary, Yuki."_

 _Kanzeon grabbed someone behind the door and yanked them out in the open. Konzen halted his yelling when he saw the person that got tied up in all this. He was almost immediately blown away by this woman's beauty. To the Chinese dress she wore, to her black hair, and even to her brown eyes with a hint of red in them. She was stunning but he would never say it out loud._

 _Kanzeon noticed the shocked look on her nephew's face and had to hide her evil smirk. She knew he would like Yuki and he would like her even more when she interacted with him. "Yuki, go ahead and introduce yourself dear."_

 _Yuki was startled out of her trance and bowed, "H-Hello sir. It's very nice to meet you."_

 _Konzen snapped out of his shock when he realized the woman was speaking to him. He cleared his throat, making sure it wouldn't make a weird sound and replied, "Nice to meet you as well."_

 _Kanzeon was slightly disappointed with how it played out but knew if it went well, there would be multiple times where she can embarrass her nephew. She just had to wait and let the course run its toll._

Konzen let a small smile cross his features when the memory ended and he realized where he was. He looked next to him to see the child looking at him with expectant eyes. "Yeah, I liked her too," he opted to say instead of what he really wanted to say.

Goku beamed at the answer. He was happy that his caretaker agreed with him. "Well, what about Aya-Nee? What do you think about her?"

Konzen felt annoyance hit full force at the name. "I don't like her," he said without skipping a beat.

"Aw, why not Konzen?"

"Because she's annoying!"

And with that, Goku continued to ask Konzen questions about their new friends all night.

The blonde didn't have very much sleep that night.


	10. Chapter 10: Under the Cherry Blossom

**Red-Weasel-Chan: Hello once again! I apologize about the wait but this chapter did not want to come out. I think it was more or less a really happy chapter and I was expecting death and gore. BUT that will happen later on so I'm saving my tears for this!**

 **Also, A Dark Lullaby says hi~! And she misses you guys. She's currently drowning in class work but she's enjoying it! I barely get to see her anymore. Only Skype once in awhile.**

 **Anyways, here is the latest chapter of Thanks For The Memories!**

 **Enjoy!**

Chapter 10 - Under the Cherry Blossom Tree

That night before I went to bed, Ken-Nii-chan, Ten-chan, Aya-Nee, Yuki, Chao Li and Yun Li unexpectedly showed up. Konzen and I were confused at their appearance. I didn't think Konzen invited them over so we stared at them with blank looks.

Ken-Nii-chan was the first to speak. "Tonight I'm really in the mood to drink," he said. I looked over to Ten-chan to see him nod in agreement.

"Then why is Yuki with you guys?" Konzen asked, a glare aimed at our visitors.

Yuki smiled but didn't say anything. "She was with me when these two showed up and invited her," Amaya spoke up for her sibling.

"And who wouldn't want to have this sweetheart around?" Kenren said, wrapping an arm around Yuki's shoulders. I silently agreed with him. It was always a lot more fun with Yuki around.

I saw Konzen's glare harden but he didn't do anything. He just scoffed and shook his head at Ken-Nii-chan.

"So, do you want to join us Goku?" Ten-chan asked. Even though I was tired, I suddenly became excited and nodded my head. Ten-chan laughed and said, "Ok. Let's go."

"To where?" Konzen asked as he stood up to follow the group.

Kenren smirked, "Where else?"

Konzen and I were confused once again. It seemed we were the only two to not know where we were going.

Yuki grabbed my hand and started to lead me out of the room. She smiled down at me, causing me to smile back. I heard footsteps behind me and I knew the rest of our friends were following. Even Konzen.

Becoming even more curious, I looked back up to Yuki and asked, "Yuki, where are we going?"

She glanced down at me, still smiling that infectious smile. "Underneath the cherry blossom trees," she answered.

And so, we all went to see the cherry blossoms.

Pretty soon, all of us were underneath the brightly blooming cherry blossom tree.

Once we were all settled, Konzen shook his head at the officers, "You three really do have a lot of time on your hands."

Ten-chan just laughed, "Don't say that!" He was already a little drunk.

"We already have a bad reputation. No need to make it worse by saying that," Aya-Nee lectured. She wasn't drinking what Ten-chan and Ken-Nii-chan had. I think it was some kind of juice.

"Well, I guess you could call it free time," Ken-Nii-chan said in a haze. He was definitely drunk. "They leave everything to Toushin's army. We're just the post-disposal unit."

I was confused so I looked to Yuki and asked, "What does that mean?"

Yuki looked to her sister, pleading in her eyes. Aya-Nee rolled her eyes and said, "Basically if they don't feel like doing something, they send us."

"Oh!" I said in understanding. I turned my gaze to Ken-Nii-chan to ask what they do when they went down below but stopped at the sight.

"Hey~! Surely you're gonna drink, right Konzen?" Ken-Nii asked as he was already pouring the liquid into Konzen's cup.

Konzen kept still, trying to keep the drink from spilling. "Stop it! Don't fill my cup as you please!" Konzen growled out. Ken-Nii just continued to fill the cup until it was near overflowing.

Ten-chan drank some more and ended up talking to me and Yuki a lot as Aya-Nee kept an eye on Ken-Nii-chan and Konzen. "And then when talking about the dietary culture down below, ramen can't be forgotten," Ten-chan said with a smile.

"Ah, Konzen makes ramen sometimes when Yuki isn't around."

Ten-chan looked at Yuki with a look I didn't recognize. Yuki blushed, quickly looking away from us. "Well Goku, in one bite of what they call ramen, there's diversity. You can reasonably call it a cuisine with deep insides," Ten-chan told me. "Tonkatsu and miso corn are hard to do without, but I personally proscribe to the school of salt ramen."

"Aya and I love salt ramen," Yuki said, her face back to regular color. "We used to eat that all the time when we were younger."

"Maybe I can make it for all of us next time?" Ten-chan suggested. That made me happy to hear. Eating and hanging out with everybody sounded fun.

I heard laughter a bit away and looked to see Chao Li and Yun Li sitting there. They were drinking what Ten-chan, Ken-Nii and Konzen had but not as much. They also kept on glancing over, mainly at Aya-Nee and Yuki. They caught me looking their way, smiling and waving at me. I returned their gesture and they went back to talking and laughing.

I felt a smile on my face when they did after Chao Li said something.

They looked so happy.

My attention went back to Yuki when I heard Aya-Nee speak. I didn't hear much but I happened to catch, "…and then the guy tried to pull some kind of tackle but he missed! He ended up tackling big boss man!" Amaya finished her story, bursting into laughter at the end.

Yuki joined in as well. I didn't understand what was going on but hearing them two laugh was contagious. I ended up laughing with them, still unsure what was going on. I stopped laughing first and noticed the guys weren't joining in. Ten-chan had a smile on his face while Konzen and Ken-Nii were slightly red in the face.

"Hey Konzen, Ken-Nii. Why are your faces red?" I asked, curious if they were all right or if they needed help.

Both Konzen and Ken-Nii jumped a little when I pointed it out. Konzen looked away, refusing to look at anybody while Ken-Nii laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. I was confused, wondering why they wouldn't tell me what's wrong. Amaya and Yuki looked just as confused I was. The only person that didn't look lost was Ten-chan who was still smiling.

Ken-Nii finally caught my gaze and smirked, "Goku. This is why you shouldn't drink sake."

"What's that?" I asked, not knowing what sake was.

Everybody burst into laughter at what I said as I sat there in confusion but soon joined them in their laughter. Somehow through all this, knowing I wasn't supposed to be up and about at this time, I felt happy. I felt happy with everybody together. I looked to Konzen and even though he had that sour look (Ken-Nii-chan and Aya-Nee called it that), I knew he didn't mind. He even looked happy when I saw his eyes.

Ken-Nii-chan stood up after a while and smirked my way. "Alright then, hey Goku! Wanna climb this tree?" he asked with a little bit of excitement.

His excitement wore off on me as I jumped up and said, "Yeah! Let's race to the top!"

Ken-Nii laughed but looked at Aya-Nee who was taking a sip of her drink. "Hey Aya-babe, wanna join us?"

"Aya-babe?" I heard Konzen say with a bit of disbelief. I didn't know what was going on but I saw Yuki hiding her laughter behind her sleeve as Aya-Nee was choking. I think she swallowed her drink wrong.

"What the hell kind of name is that?! And no! I don't want to join you!" Aya-Nee nearly yelled out but was still coughing from her drink.

Ken-Nii shrugged his shoulders and started climbing the tree. "Come on Goku! I'm going to win at this rate!"

I snapped out of it and started to climb the tree as well. "Yeah right! I'll still beat you up there!"

"Ah, please be careful Goku!" I heard Yuki call out with a worried tone. "Oh, this is not such a good idea."

"They'll be fine Yuki. Kenren won't let him hurt himself," Konzen reassured with a small smile.

Yuki's nerves settled at the reassurance but she tensed up at Tenpou's next words. "If you fall, I'll laugh at you, drunkard!"

Yuki looked at the Field Marshal with wide eyes, not believing he just said that. She was about to scold him for saying that but his suggestion was backed up by his Admiral. "Yeah! Go on and fall drunkard!" Amaya shouted with a huge smirk. "Oh! Maybe I can get him to fall by throwing rocks at him."

Yuki squeaked, jumping at her sister to stop her from searching for any rocks. "Aya! Do not throw rocks at Kenren and Goku!"

"I wasn't going to throw them at the little monkey! I'm only aiming at the giant idiot," Aya tried to reason but her sister still had a solid grip on her arms. "Let go of me Yuki!"

"I will not until you promise to not throw rocks at them!"

"I already told you I'm just aiming for the gorilla! Not the little monkey!"

"You could accidentally hit Goku and make him fall!"

After that, their fighting got quieter the higher I climbed. I looked down to see how high I was and was a decent ways from the ground. I looked back up to see where Ken-Nii was and he wasn't too far from where I was. I guess Konzen was right to say he wouldn't let me hurt myself.

"Tenpou," I heard Konzen say. After that I couldn't hear much of what they were saying but all I knew was that it was serious. They had difficult expressions on their face and Tenpou's smile was now a serious frown.

"The Toushin, is it possible for them to make two or more at a time?" Konzen asked.

Tenpou didn't say anything at first but replied, "You're thinking about that too?" His answer was a slight nod from the blonde and the attention from the two women. "Actually, in the succession of Toushin, there are precedents of having more than one at the time. If there's the right man for the position, they'll appoint him. That's all there is to it."

"Then why are they holding Goku here?" Amaya questioned.

"If Goku ends up where he's made Toushin at the same time as Nataku, with the grip that Li Touten has been using on that power, then from the beginning, Goku…" Tenpou trailed off, realizing something as he looked between the two caretakers of the heretic.

Amaya didn't like that look, her nerves itching for an answer. "Then what Tenpou?"

"Konzen. Yuki. Then you two, as the 'Toushin's Protectors', have become a hindrance for Li Touten," Tenpou finished with a glum look.

As they continued to talk, I stood on the branch and looked out. I thought that the cherry blossoms were so pretty. How they flowed with the wind and how they made the world that much brighter. The more I looked, I felt like Nataku should have been here to see this.

But I suddenly felt a little lonely with that thought.

I really do wish he was there to witness the cherry blossoms.

I was snapped out of my thoughts by Ken-Nii yelling down to the others. "Hey! You four down there! Stop talking about boring things. Enjoy the flowers and sake."

Tenpou's serious face faded into a small smile as he looked up at Ken-Nii, "Yes yes. We know."

"Hey! Don't tell us what to do!" Aya-Nee yelled back, shaking her fist at Ken-Nii.

I heard them fighting but I was focused on Konzen and Yuki. They looked at each other with a different look. Konzen with a scowl and Yuki with a worried look. Yuki then smiled brightly at Konzen and said something I couldn't hear because of Aya-Nee and Ken-Nii fighting but Konzen's eyes widened by her words.

I kind of wish I knew what she said.

"You know," Ken-Nii said as he took out a cigarette from his back pocket, "the cherry blossoms down there are much more of a babe than these."

I was confused by his words but apparently Aya-Nee understood what he said. "Yeah. They are so much more beautiful down there," Aya-Nee agreed with a tiny smile aimed up at Ken-Nii. Even Ten-chan nodded his head in agreement.

Konzen and Yuki looked just as confused as I did. Konzen looked up at Ken-Nii and asked, "Aren't they the same type of tree?"

Ken-Nii smirked, "Yeah, but their way of life is different."

I still didn't understand what he meant but Konzen and Yuki's faces showed they did. "I see," Yuki barely whispered out with smile.

Konzen looked at her sideways, his own small smile showing. He then tilted his head to the cherry blossoms and said, "That's something I'd like to see."

I don't know why, but his words made my heart kind of squeeze. I felt really happy, more than I did before but I didn't know why. I just was. I was so caught up in my happiness that I didn't hear a snap from below. The next thing I knew, I unintentionally fell right on top of Konzen.

"Ah! I'm sorry Konzen!" I exclaimed, worried he might smack me. "I-I didn't mean to-."

"Goku! Konzen!" I heard Yuki's voice coming closer. She grabbed my face and arms like she did at the festival and looked me over. "Are you ok?"

"Yes Yuki. I'm fine. I don't know about Konzen though!" I said, pointing to Konzen who was still laying on the ground.

Yuki went up to him and helped him sit up. "Are you alright Konzen?" she asked, looking for any scratches like she did to me but not as crazy.

Konzen's face was dark and scary, like he wanted to yell. I was about to apologize even more but the laughter from Ken-Nii stopped me. "Hahaha! Nice catch, Konzen! That's our daddy!" he said through laughing. I was surprised he didn't fall off the tree from how hard he was laughing.

Konzen's scary look increased at Ken-Nii's words. "And let's not forget our sweet mother that looks after the two~," Ten-chan added as he smiled towards Yuki.

Yuki's face turned a light red at his words and Aya-Nee started laughing at her. "Aww~! Is big sister embarrassed?"

"N-No!" Yuki stuttered out, waving her hand like she was trying to shoo her away.

I was so caught up in their banter that Konzen's yell startled me. "Stupid monkey! What the hell do you think you're doing, falling on me like that?!"

More laughter was heard as I was yelled at. "But wasn't it your fault Konzen?" Ten-chan questioned.

"How was it my fault?!"

"It's because those shackles make Goku weigh more than 100 kg. That's why the branch broke," Ten-chan said with a knowing look that said he won.

Konzen wouldn't have it. He was still upset about me falling on him. "This is why I told you not to climb the tree!"

"Wasn't it Yuki who said that?" Ten-chan reminded.

As Konzen continued to argue with Ten-chan, I happened to look up to see what Ken-Nii was doing. I saw him standing on the tree branch, ready to do something. He noticed me staring at him and he winked, putting a finger to his lips. I couldn't even ask what he meant as I saw him fall the next second and landed on top of Aya-Nee.

I heard her scream in surprise as Ken-Nii collided with her. Everybody looked to what happened and saw Ken-Nii on top of Aya-Nee, his arms holding her in a hug as his face was on her chest. She was super red in the face while Ken-Nii was smiling away. He used his arms to pull himself up to face her, his smile still in place.

"You alright darlin'?" Ken-Nii asked.

Aya-Nee's face turned even redder as she attempted to push him off of her, "Y-Yeah. Just get off me already!"

"Yes, please do! There are children in the vicinity. At least find a room you two," Ten-chan said with a chuckle.

Yuki already had her hands over my eyes so I didn't see much after Ken-Nii asked if Aya-Nee was alright. I heard shuffling around until my eyesight was restored and found Aya-Nee as far away as possible from Ken-Nii. "What's wrong Aya-Nee?" I asked, worried she was angry with him.

Aya-Nee looked away, her face still red in her cheeks. "Don't mind her Goku. She's just a little embarrassed," Ken-Nii answered for me.

"Karma hurts, doesn't it Aya?" Yuki teased.

"Shut it Yuki," Aya-Nee growled out, still keeping her eyes away from us.

The rest of the group laughed at her response. I joined in a bit later as Aya-Nee and Yuki continued to bicker. It was always interesting to see them interact. They may have been different but they got along so well.

We stayed like that for a few more hours. We talked, laughed, joked around. It was an amazing night. I will never forget it. Everyone I liked the best were here. We were all smiling like nothing was wrong. Even though that was all we did, that much was ok.

At least, that's what I've always thought.

When it got darker, we finally decided to pack up and head back to our homes. We walked a bit together since we were all going the same way. It was quiet between all of us. I was a bit tired so I couldn't wait to fall asleep. I think everybody else thought the same thing.

The silence was interrupted by Ken-Nii once again. "Hey. I have a question."

"Is it an intelligent one, drunkard?" Ten-chan asked next to him.

"Yeah," Ken-Nii said slowly, clearly trying to keep balance from all the sake he drank. He then turned towards Chao Li and Yun Li with a pointed finger, "Are you two fucking?"

I jumped at the squeal Yuki made and the laughter coming from Ten-chan. Konzen was glaring at Ken-Nii like he wanted to throw something at him and Aya-Nee slapped her hand on her forehead. I looked to the two bodyguards and saw the mixed response. Chao Li looked ready to kill while Yun Li looked like Aya-Nee when Ken-Nii was on her.

"Kenren! Don't say it like that!" Yuki scolded, her face a little red.

"He's so stupid," Aya-Nee grumbled under her breath.

"What?! I just really want to know!" Ken-Nii defended. "I don't want to make Chao Li angry if I decided to hit on Yun Li, you know?"

"Don't you dare you perverted bastard!" Chao Li suddenly yelled.

"And that's all I needed to know~," Ken-Nii said in a sing-song tone.

Ken-Nii laughed as Chao Li continued to yell at him to never talk to Yun Li unless he was around. I didn't understand why he was acting like that but maybe he cared for Yun Li that much. I looked at Yun Li to see him still slightly red in the face but shaking his head. Maybe not so much…

Before more yelling could be made, I noticed that we were in front Konzen and I's room. I felt my sleepiness kick in and couldn't wait to fall asleep. Yuki must have noticed my sleepiness because she kneeled in front of me and ruffled my hair. "Are you ready for bed, little one?"

I nodded my head, feeling my eyes droop a little. Next thing I knew, I felt her kiss my forehead and that made my heart squeeze once again. I looked into her chocolate red eyes as she smiled at me.

"Goodnight Goku. Sweet dreams," Yuki said. I was still in shock but saw her stand and look at Konzen. "Goodnight to you too, Konzen. See you tomorrow."

Konzen's face turned a light pink from her words. I think he was feeling the same way I did.

Very happy.

"Awww~ Can't I get a kiss from Mama too?" Ken-Nii teased, going so far as to go towards Yuki.

He was stopped by Aya-Nee holding him back, "Don't you dare touch Yuki you stupid drunkard!"

"Fine, I guess I'll just order you to kiss me goodnight~," Ken-Nii said as he turned around in the hold to hug Aya-Nee. He leaned down to get closer to her but she stopped him with her free hand.

"Don't think so asshole! And you don't order me around! Tenpou does!" Aya-Nee argued.

Ken-Nii looked at Ten-chan with a pleading look, "Hey buddy! Help a guy out."

Ten-chan just laughed, clearly feeling a bit light headed from the sake as well. Yuki shook her head as she watched her sister hold back Ken-Nii-chan. Chao Li and Yun Li looked unamused by the whole situation. Konzen, however, glared at Ken-Nii like he wanted to kill him. I think he was just tired like me and wanted to end the night already.

After all our goodbyes, Konzen and I got ready for bed once again. We quickly fell asleep but my happiness was still with me. This night, was something I would never forget.


	11. Chapter 11: The Start of the Journey

**RedWeaselChan: Hello Lovelies! I bring a long chapter for you all! I hope you enjoy because shit is about to go down :3**

 **Have a wonderful day!**

Chapter 11 - The Start of the Journey

" _It was just after I'd arrived at the Marshal's to take up my post. How do they say it down there? Oh yes…_

 _This happened some years ago."_

Kenren was walking down the hall of his new division, looking for the door that held his new commanding officer. After walking for a few minutes, he found a fancy looking door that matched the description of what he was looking for. He knocked on the door and waited about a minute for an answer.

"Funny," he mumbled to himself when he didn't receive a response. "I heard this was the place. Maybe he's out?"

Kenren knocked once again, hoping he would receive an answer but let out a sigh when it was the same thing. He decided to take matters into his own hands and opened the door. "Excuse me-AGHHHH!"

He was met with a huge pile of books and other things falling on him, causing him to fall and be suffocated by the things. He managed to crawl his way out of the pile, gasping for air like he was drowning. "What the hell?! Is this some sort of closet?!" he yelled out in shock. Maybe he did get the wrong door and it was some sort of storage closet that hasn't been cleaned out in years.

Kenren's red eyes looked at the multiple things that fell out, trying to figure out what happened. He was surprised to find a hand sticking out from underneath some books. He followed where part of an arm was sticking out as well and saw a sleeping man. "Ah, hey! Are you alive?" he called out, making his way towards the man to make sure he wasn't dead.

Kenren moved some books out the way for the man but jumped slightly when said man popped up, his eyes droopy from sleep. He heard the sleepy man groan and ask, "What?" but he had to strain to hear him. Kenren honestly was at a loss as to what was going on. Who was this guy anyways?

The man suddenly perked up, his drowsiness no longer on his face as he looked at his company. "Did I fall asleep?" he asked, honestly curious if he did so.

Kenren felt his eyes narrow in slight annoyance as he responded, "Don't ask me."

"Oh, must have passed out again," the scatterbrained man said like it was normal. "Lately I keep forgetting to sleep."

Kenren just watched as the guy started to gather a few books near him. This guy must have a few screws loose or something. "Uh, so look. I have to see Marshal Tenpou about something. You know where he is?"

The man stopped gathering his books and looked at Kenren, adjusting his glasses. "So, what is it?"

Kenren was shocked to say the least. "You're kidding!" he voiced out his disbelief.

Luckily for Kenren, Tenpou had the same personality so he didn't take any offense to it. He just nodded and smiled, "Oh yes. I don't believe it myself."

Kenren soon burst into laughter, sputtering out how he agrees with Tenpou. Tenpou joined in his laughter until his curiosity got the better of him. "And who are you?" he finally asked.

Kenren stopped laughing, seeing that it was his turn to introduce himself. "How rude of me," he said as he stood up to properly bow formally. "I come today having been kicked ou-I mean, transferred from the Eastern Army to assume duties of the General in the West. My name is Kenren. I ask for your considerable guidance while under your care."

There was an awkward pause, the two men not used to this kind of formal talk. Kenren then peaked up from his bow to look at his new officer to see him just staring at him. "Well, something like that I suppose," he added to make the awkward silence go away.

Tenpou's face then lit up in realization, "Oh! You're my new General, right?"

Kenren nodded his head as he took out a paper from his pocket, "And I was told to get your private seal on my notification of arrival and hand it in."

Tenpou stared at the paper presented to him, lost in thought. "My seal…" he mumbled out. He turned towards his door, narrowly avoiding tripping over the huge pile of stuff in his way. He made his way to his desk and started to dig through the huge pile of books, still mumbling about his seal.

Kenren followed but stayed a few feet away, afraid that if he went too far, he would be crushed by books once again.

"Can't I just sign instead?" Tenpou asked, looking behind him at his new general.

"I don't think so," Kenren deadpanned.

"I was sure I had put it here," Tenpou grumbled, still searching through the pile. "No. Where could it be?"

Kenren let out another small sigh as he watched his new commanding officer struggle to find his seal. This was not going to do. "Marshal." Tenpou had just found his seal when he was called. He went up to his general, asking what he wanted. "After I've handed this in, please give me my first order."

Tenpou nodded to give his agreement.

"Help me clean up this room."

* * *

" _At that time, the army was kept pretty busy. Especially since they couldn't find a successor to the position of Toushin."_

"So, you're General Kenren. I've been hearing stories about you for some time now," Goujun introduced as he looked over the arrival paperwork. "I never thought a man like you would wind up in the Western Army."

"Of course! Gorgeous guys like me are always targets for rumors," Kenren teased with a smirk. Maybe this guy was like Tenpou and they could joke back and forth.

"I heard you beat up your commanding officer and slept with the man's wife," Goujun got straight to the point, glaring at his new soldier.

Kenren's hopes were shot down of having a good time here. "Well, yeah…that's basically what happened."

Goujun's glare softened a little bit. At least this guy was honest and not trying to make up stupid stories. "It seems you did exactly as you pleased in the Eastern Army. But, now that you're here, I intend to keep you in line. Get used to the idea. Don't forget your duties as an officer."

Kenren felt the need to roll his eyes at his boss. Instead, he smiled and politely said, "Yes sir."

Goujun eyed the man, already feeling like he's going to be way too much trouble. "Also, your commanding officer, Marshal Tenpou, is an outstanding military man. You must try not to do anything to stain his military record."

Kenren didn't really hear what the pale man said but he got the gist of it. Don't get anybody in trouble or else. 'What a weak threat,' he thought to himself.

* * *

"Wow. It looks totally different," Tenpou exclaimed in mild shock.

"Doesn't it?" Kenren said as he put up the last of the things. "I may not look like it but I'm a pretty good housekeeper."

The two spent the last few hours cleaning up the Field Marshal's office and it now looked like a completely different room. You can now walk on the floor instead of walking on books and other things. The desk was even cleared off and could be properly used.

"Of course I know where everything is, in my own fashion that is," Tenpou defended, feeling like he had to argue that his office wasn't too messy.

Kenren shook his head, not believing a word his new friend said. "All untidy people say that," he grumbled under his breath. He stood up from his crouched position and looked around to admire his work. He gave himself a mental pat on the back at how good the office looked now that it wasn't a death trap. Now he could enter without worrying about being suffocated by a mountain of books.

His red eyes caught something on the corner of the desk. It was a tiny frog decoration with a few crunched up cigarettes. "Is that an ashtray?" he asked, feeling a bit dumb since it's pretty obvious but he just wanted to make sure.

Tenpou already had out his own cigarette, ready to light it so he could relax after all the work he did. "Yes. Go ahead," Tenpou nodded to show he was ok with his new recruit smoking.

Kenren didn't need to be told twice. He needed to take a smoke break as well from cleaning the mess of the office. He sat down so his back could be up against the desk but he was close to the ashtray. His commanding officer was on the other side of the desk, leaning against it and looking out the window.

It felt nice to just take a breather. To think about some stuff. Speaking of, Kenren felt like he had to ask his new friend a question. "You know, you're such a big shot Marshal and all. So, why do you go out to the front lines with the platoon?"

"Don't you think it's more interesting that way?" Tenpou replied like it was a simple question. "Aoshima once said something like 'the event happens at the scene'."

Kenren got up on his knees so he could put out his cigarette in the ashtray and give his friend a confused look. "Who's Aoshima? And why are you bringing him up?"

"Why are you an officer yourself?" Tenpou ignored the question and gave his own, curious as to why a guy like him was in the army.

Kenren flopped back on the floor and rubbed the back of his neck. "I also wonder why. I do have an interest in the world below, but I can't stand being bored. Makes my brain rot."

Tenpou chuckled, "Because you want to savor life."

Kenren had to think about that. "Yeah. Something like that." He then looked back up to Tenpou, "When do you feel like you're alive?"

Tenpou didn't even have to think about that. He already had an answer. "The moment I'm smoking a good cigarette."

Kenren laughed since he couldn't agree more. "Damn straight!"

Their moment of peace was interrupted by the door opening, Goyou standing at attention. "Excuse me for interrupting! We've just received information that huge beasts of unknown origin are roaming the western areas of the lower world. We're requesting that you command an expedition at once, Marshal."

That caught both officers attention. Within a few moments, Tenpou and Kenren were heading out to the gate to enter the lower world. Kenren was a bit behind his higher up, listening to what the situation is. He was also a bit shocked to see the usual lazy man in his uniform and being serious with all the questions thrown at him.

"What is the current status?" Tenpou asked his soldiers, pulling his gloves on.

"They've destroyed three paths already and there is no sign of them weakening," one soldier replied behind the two higher ups.

"I see," Tenpou said with an indifferent gaze. "We'll have a hard time containing them then, won't we?"

"Marshal!" Kenren almost jumped at the greeting that was shouted from in front. He looked to see the rest of the squad, all ready to be given their orders.

Tenpou nodded to the soldiers, "Alright. We'll be descending at once, so open the gate."

"Understood!"

"Have the fourth squad on standby. If the anesthesia turns out to be inadequate, we'll call for them," Tenpou threw out his orders like it was a simple thing. He then turned to a blue haired man with glasses, "Eizen. The map of the surrounding area please."

Eizen handed the Marshal two pieces of paper then stepping to the side to allow his commanding officer to walk by without stopping. Tenpou took one paper and handed it to his left where his general was. Kenren got excited since it was about to be his turn to do something. "Awesome. Isn't this the part where the General steps in?"

"You can take lead of the troops once we get there," Tenpou said, his eyes still on the map.

Kenren wanted to huff in exasperation but held back. It was his first expedition with the Western Army so he was just going to have to wait his turn. As they continued to where the gate was, the two officers heard another set of footsteps coming their way. They looked up to see a man with brown dreadlocks and violet eyes. He didn't seem menacing or out of the ordinary. Just a normal bureaucrat going about his business.

But Kenren didn't like this guy. As he walked past him, he gave a side glance to the odd man.

* * *

" _The people of Heaven have a fundamental principle against killing. When a creature in the lower world, a god or a demon, becomes an enemy, it is custom to place a subjugation seal on it. The only one in Heaven permitted to kill is the heretic fighting god._

 _And currently, there isn't one…"_

" _At that time, Li Touten was only a bureaucratic scribe in the army. When Nataku was born though…"_

 _Konzen and Yuki looked at Tenpou expectantly, waiting for the officer to finish telling them what he was saying. He just looked at them, his eyes a bit torn about what to do._

" _Is there something wrong Tenpou?" Yuki asked the burning question._

 _Tenpou looked at her with a bit of sadness. He didn't want to involve her in this situation but she was already in too deep. She was like Konzen. They both had the job of looking after the heretic and they didn't know much like him, Kenren, Amaya and Chao Li did. They were sucked into the situation unknowingly what was going on behind it._

 _And he felt a bit guilty being the person telling them what was going on._

 _He took a deep breath from his cigarette, "If I tell you two the rest, you won't be able to carry on as if you knew nothing about the army anymore. Are you sure you want me to finish?"_

 _Konzen and Yuki looked at each other, giving the other a knowing look that only those two knew. The pair turned back to their company, their eyes burning with determination. "Are you mocking us?" Konzen asked in his angry way. If Tenpou didn't know the man, he would have thought it was threat._

" _I apologize Tenpou but please do not look down on us," Yuki spoke, her voice unwavering and serious. It was still sweet but the marshal knew she meant business. "We only want what is best for Goku and in order to do so, we need you to tell us what is going on."_

 _Tenpou looked between the violet and chocolate brown eyes, feeling their confidence in waves that this is what they needed to hear. What they needed to help Goku. He chuckled as he hit the tip of his cigarette in the ash tray, "Alright. I'm just letting you two know."_

* * *

-Next Day-

"Well, don't you look totally bored."

"It's that obvious?"

"It's written all over your face."

Tenpou, who was looking through his numerous books on the shelf, glanced behind him to see who his general was talking to. He smirked when he saw the grown man leaning his head on the desk, his eyes lazily staring at the frog ash tray. "Haha! You're really good at carrying one-sided conversations," Tenpou complimented. "I suppose you don't have any siblings."

"Tch, like someone who only does everything at his own pace has room to talk," Kenren fired back. He was so bored that he felt his brain beginning to rot. If only there was something interesting to do. "But seriously, you're the one who always handles everything alone while the rest of us who're below you never get the chance to do anything."

Tenpou went back to looking at his books, not really wanting to answer why he does so. "You've got a point. I apologize. It's a bad habit of mine," he said a bit absentmindedly.

Kenren felt the awkward shift in the conversation and decided to leave it be until he remembered something. "By the way, did you turn in the papers regarding yesterday's expedition?"

Tenpou didn't move from his spot, clearly thinking if he did so or not. A few seconds later, his face said it all. He forgot to do it.

Kenren let out a deep sigh, getting up from his crouched position on the floor to sit at the desk. "It's fine. I'll write it," he said. He needed something to do before he died from brain rot.

"Are you sure? I'm sorry about this," Tenpou asked, feeling a bit guilty for leaving his general to do the paperwork.

"Yeah," Kenren nonchalantly waved it away. "Anyway, you can take this time to go take a bath! You're starting to stink up the place!"

Tenpou let out a small sigh as he started to take off his tie, "Ok~. Ok."

Kenren watched to make sure his commander went to the bathroom and also waited until he heard the water flowing to start on the report. The lazy man had a tendency to try to be sneaky and not want to do something important for his health and instead read his multiple books. So Kenren was now his keeper that made sure he at least ate a decent meal and sleep normally.

Kenren started up the report, lighting a cigarette to help him concentrate and looked to the bathroom door every so often when the water shut off. About an hour later, he finished the report and his friend still hasn't come out of the bath. He went up to the door and knocked, "Hey. I'm finished with the report. What do you want me to do with it?"

A few moments of silence and no answer. Kenren was starting to get déjà vu from his first day. He was not going to open the door and have another near death experience from falling books. "Hey! You still alive in there?" He heard a faint gasp and something fall in the water. "Are you even listening, Marshal?!"

"Oh, sorry!" was Tenpou's groggy reply. "I fell asleep. Do you mind submitting it to the upper division for me?"

Kenren felt his eyebrow tick in anger. "Yeah," he yelled back as he left the office. "Isn't he good at getting others to do his work for him?" He closed the door and let his head fall in realization. "And I'm actually going to go do it…"

Kenren walked down the hallway to where Goujun's office was, letting his mind wander around his commanding officer. He always thought that he was a weird guy. He was lazy and prudent, always spacing out a lot too. But the more Kenren hung around him, the more he could sympathize with him a bit.

But there was one thing that bugged him…

Every time they departed for the front lines, Tenpou becomes different. He goes beyond his position as Marshal and does everything himself. His eyes show it. It's like they are saying that he doesn't trust in anyone but himself.

Kenren's thoughts were interrupted by a yell and somebody being kicked out of a door. "You're completely useless!" the voice yelled at the man on the floor. The door moved out of the way to reveal a blonde overweight man in white robes. "'I don't know,' isn't good enough, idiot! Furthermore, it's almost as if you're trying to put the blame of your failure on us!"

"I apologize!" the man on the floor said, now in a deep bow. "I beg your forgiveness!" Kenren recognized him as the man they walked past yesterday before they went on their expedition.

The big man didn't want to hear it. He went over to his secretary and kicked him without mercy. "Know your place in society, fool!"

"Please, forgive m-!"

"A lowly commoner like you!" the blonde continued to yell, still kicking the poor soul. "Do you think we're as vulgar as you are?! You are nothing but filth! Garbage!"

Kenren had enough of this guy bullying the man who was apologizing up a storm. He lit up a cigarette and took only two steps to get to his target, kicking the blonde down to the floor.

The blonde got back up, looking to see who kicked him. "How rude!" he growled out. "Just who the hell-AH!" He shut up real quick when he saw just who knocked him down.

"Hey fatty," Kenren said, glaring menacingly at the big guy. "Why're you going around stepping on people?"

"General Kenren?!" the blonde stuttered out, shocked to see the rebellious general here.

Kenren continued to glare at the man but then smirked once he knew he won. "Oi, if you're trying to exercise, then do it alone. Just make sure the flooring doesn't come off."

The blonde man looked between the general and his secretary before heading back into his office. He hid behind the door to say one last thing, "Li Touten! You have until tomorrow to correct all those documents!" With that, he slammed the door shut leaving behind a confused general.

Kenren looked at the door for a second, trying to register what happened. "What was that all about?" he asked the air. He heard a grunt below him and suddenly remembered that this Li Touten guy got the shit kicked out of him. He held out his hand, trying to help the man up, "Hey. Are you alright? Can you stand?"

He was surprised when his hand was slapped away.

Li Touten quickly grabbed the papers that were scattered around him and left like nothing happened. Kenren just watched him leave, curious as to why he acted like that. It was just a simple gesture of help. It wasn't like he was looking down on him or anything.

"That was Li Touten."

Kenren yelped in surprise, jumping back a few feet. He looked to see who startled him and was slightly upset it was his lazy commander. "What the hell man?! You scared the crap out of me! And why are you here dressed like that?!"

Tenpou didn't look impressed that he managed to scare his general. His mind was elsewhere. "They won't accept the documents unless I submit them personally. I just remembered so I came after you," he replied to the main question as to why he was there.

Kenren looked at his friend's choice of clothing again. He was wearing his usual white dress shirt, red tie, tan pants and sandals but he also had a towel around his neck and fanning himself with a red paper fan. "You're going to meet your superior officer looking like that?" he asked, not quite believing it.

Tenpou gave him a blank stare, "But I'm wearing a tie." Kenren didn't feel like arguing with the man that what he was wearing was not appropriate when meeting his superior. "So, that was Li Touten. The guy just now," Tenpou changed the subject back to where he wanted it.

"Eh?" Kenren dumbly asked. He honestly didn't know anything about that guy besides he was rude.

"It seems that some time ago, his family fell into ruin for unknown reasons. Due to his superior intelligence, Li Touten was given the position of a scribe," Tenpou explained to his general. "However, the discrimination from the upper level of Heaven hasn't ceased. So, it seems that he's hiding the thoughts he has of his superiors."

Kenren took this new knowledge into thought. He had to agree somewhat about hiding his thoughts on his superiors. He didn't like his boss back in the Eastern Army from the start but it all became too much and that's why he beat him up. "Hmph, he doesn't seem like a docile, model student type to me though," he said, looking back to where Li Touten went off to.

Tenpou followed his gaze, adjusting his glasses, "Hmmm, who knows. Anyways, let's go turn in those documents and head back."

Kenren nodded his head and both of them headed toward Goujun's office. It didn't take long until they got there. Tenpou knocked on the door and took a step inside, "Hello Goujun. I have come to-Oh."

Kenren peeked in the room, wanting to know why his friend stopped speaking. He automatically saw why. Right in front of Goujun's desk was two individuals. One was a woman and the other a man. His curiosity peaked.

Goujun looked at the two men that entered and let out a small sigh. It was about time they submitted their report from yesterday. "Hello Marshal. General." He said the last one's rank with a bit of bite, reminding the man about their previous conversation.

The man and woman looked at their new company with scrutiny. Tenpou wondered why but then again he and his friend are very interesting people. Kenren, however, was only focused on the woman. Tenpou thinks he doesn't even realize the vicious glare aimed right at him.

"I apologize for interrupting sir," Tenpou bowed. "I just came by to hand in our report from yesterday's expedition."

Goujun nodded, "At least it is not a week late like usual." Tenpou chuckled at that remark.

Kenren didn't even hear his two superiors talking. He was still eying the woman in front of him. She wore a black tank top, tight black jeans with a white belt, black combat boots and a necklace with two dog tags dangling on her chest. Her hair was choppy and at mid back and her red eyes still narrowed in anger at the general. Kenren had to admit she was beautiful but he thought all women were beautiful.

"The hell are you staring at Sasquatch?" the woman broke the awkward stare down.

Kenren smirked at her, slowly walking towards her, "Just enjoying the view gorgeous."

The general barely got a few feet from his target when he was intercepted by the man next to her. Red eyes looked at the man, finally taking in what he looked like. He was about an inch shorter than him but his stance made him know better. This guy had some serious muscle behind him. He was wearing a tight sleeveless black shirt, gray pants, an aqua belt and black shoes. He had long lavender hair pulled into a low ponytail and his gray eyes almost matched the ferocity of his company's.

"Hey, why did you get in my way big guy?" Kenren asked the male, curious as to why he stopped him. "I just wanted to see your friend's beautiful face up closer."

"That's enough," Goujun halted any confrontation. He didn't need a mess in his office that he needed to clean up. "I'm actually glad you two are here."

"Why is that sir?" Tenpou asked, still keeping an eye on his general so that he doesn't make a fool out of himself.

"Because I would like you two to meet your new admiral," Goujun gestured to the two glaring individuals.

Kenren finally understood what was going on. He grabbed the lavender haired man's hand and started to shake it, "Welcome to the club man! Nice to see that Goujun isn't letting up on hiring strong people."

Tenpou rubbed his forehead, not believing his friend just said that in front of their boss. Goujun, however, didn't seem to mind the comment since he had a very tiny smirk on his mouth. "Kenren, that's not your new admiral," he said in his usual monotonous way but secretly was ready to watch the chaos about to ensue.

Kenren looked at his boss in disbelief then back to the intimidating man, back to his boss and back again to the not new admiral like he thought. It finally clicked in his brain that the newly appointed admiral was the rude woman behind her friend. "No way," he mumbled loud enough for everybody to hear. When his boss didn't say anything that it was some kind of sick joke, he let go of the man's hand and pointed accusingly at the woman. "No friggin' way!"

The admiral's glare intensified as she crossed her arms, "What's that supposed to mean Bigfoot? Can't take the news seriously?"

"Yeah! How am I supposed to believe a rude, weak woman is our new admiral?" Kenren fired off, still not believing this is true. There were so many thoughts going through his head. First was how a woman of all people climbed the ranks and became admiral. Second was how his boss actually allowed this. Their squad was perfect how it was. They didn't need anybody else. Lastly, this woman was getting on his damn nerves with how much she was glaring at him. Why wasn't she smiling or being cute like most women around Heaven?

"Weak?! You just barely met me! Why're you calling me weak when you haven't seen me in action?!" the woman shot back, clearly not happy with how she was being addressed.

"Enough!" Goujun bellowed out. Once the room was quiet again, he said, "I know this is sudden Kenren but do not insult our new admiral. I looked over all of her files and she is fit for the job."

Kenren mumbled something incoherent under his breath, still upset over the whole situation.

Goujun looked to woman, a stern look on his face, "Amaya. I know of your temper problems but if this continues, I will take action. Understood?"

Amaya turned her head to the side, making a small huff but eventually said, "Yes sir."

Tenpou, who was by his boss the whole time, saw the interaction. He already had a headache forming from picturing trying to wrestle the two black haired officers off each other before they killed each other. Honestly, he was with his general on this one. Not because their new admiral was a woman because he knew quite a few genius women officers back in the academy but because this particular woman was nothing like them. She didn't seem laid back or anything. She didn't seem interesting enough to join them.

"Ah, excuse me Goujun," Tenpou said, gaining the attention of everybody in the room. He let his gaze fall on the lavender haired man still between his friend and Amaya. "Who is this man with our new admiral?"

"He is her bodyguard, Chao Li," Goujun replied.

"Bodyguard?!" Kenren exclaimed, his silence broken by the news.

"Yes. He is to be with her at all times. That is direct orders from her family," Goujun explained simply. He didn't feel the need to tell his two officers why. He'll allow the admiral to tell them if she feels the need to.

Kenren scoffed, turning his head towards the woman again but now with distaste. "Seriously? A bodyguard?"

Amaya tensed up, waiting for the lame statement that was about to said. She has heard all kinds of excuses people thought up for her when they found out Chao Li was her bodyguard. A few of them still stung, but she always got them back for it. This guy is no different.

Goujun, Tenpou and Chao Li all stood back for this. Maybe this was the moment where Kenren will realize the new admiral wasn't weak like he thought.

"Why the hell do you have a bodyguard when you're in the army? Does he do all the work for you?" Kenren rambled off his thoughts, not caring if they hurt the woman or not. "You're just going to be a nuisance to us. Why don't you just go find something simpler? Something that won't make you break a nail or-!"

His insults were halted when he felt a punch land on his face, sending him on his butt a few feet away. His red eyes opened and glared at his attacker who had the same red eyes. He got up as Amaya took a step towards him to finish the job but both of them were stopped. He was stopped by his friend while Amaya was stopped by her bodyguard. Even though they were stopped, everybody could feel the killing intent between the two Gods.

Both of them wanted to brawl.

Tenpou was shocked to see the admiral throw the first punch. His first thoughts of her not being interesting enough went out the window but he also knew if she joined his squad, there would be too much tension. He looked to his boss with a knowing look, "Sir. Please reconsider allowing her to become admiral. Clearly she does not fit in our squad."

Kenren and Amaya looked at the pale, dragon-like man in anticipation. One wanted the new comer gone while the other wanted to prove them all wrong. It was all in their boss's hands.

Goujun felt the anticipation for his answer. "How about I make a deal?" he asked, a sly look in his eyes.

"A deal?" Kenren questioned.

"What kind of deal?" Chao Li inquired.

"I shall give you four three months to get along. If there is still tension within the whole squad, I will transfer her," Goujun explained. "No problems about the transfer either. It will be a simple process. Sound like a plan?"

The three looked at each other. Tenpou was all for it. He could use a little more spice in his life and this woman might be it. Kenren was also in it. Not because the woman was interesting but because he wanted to get some kind of revenge on her. Amaya automatically wanted in on the deal. She wanted to show these two that she can be the best damn admiral they ever had. Chao Li didn't have a choice. Wherever his ward went, he had to follow.

The three officers turned back to Goujun and nodded. "We accept this offer," Tenpou said with a slight bow.

Goujun smirked, "Good. Now, if you two men can leave, I shall finish up Amaya and Chao Li's paperwork. Tomorrow is the first day of the deal. Dismissed."

Tenpou and Kenren saluted their boss one last time before heading to the door. They didn't even look back to the new comers because they both had a plan brewing. A few minutes later when they were far away from the office, Kenren decided to break the silence.

"So, you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"If you mean by treating our new admiral horribly, then yes. I am," Tenpou replied, pushing his glasses further up his nose. He glanced over to his friend and saw the bruise forming on his cheek where he got hit. He had to smile at that. "Does it hurt?"

Kenren already knew what he was talking about because the throbbing wasn't holding up on his face. "A little. Our new princess has a mean right hook."

Tenpou chuckled at that. Yeah, she was definitely interesting.

* * *

 _No one noticed the madness of one man…_

 _Became the catalyst of a single tragedy._

In another building, Li Touten was seen going down a flight of stairs to a secret room. Nobody knew of this room. Only him. "We'll see how loudly you can scream, you pigs," he said to no one in particular. He was thinking about all the higher ups he served, like the one that beat him up a while ago.

Li Touten finally stopped in front of a huge machine. Inside was a little baby, completely manufactured by machine. "I stake the pride and power of my family on it! You are going to be the first step towards my revenge!"

Li Touten bent down to pick up the little baby. He wanted to see how far along the child was until he was perfect. He didn't even jump when he heard a woman's voice echo in the huge room.

"D-Dear?! What is this room?" the woman asked, looking around to try to see more but couldn't. She focused on her husband once again when he turned around but gasped in fear. "W-What's that in your hand?!"

"Stop shouting," Li Touten growled out. "This is a good opportunity for you to say hello. This is our son, Nataku."

All that was left to be heard was Li Touten's wife scream in disbelief and fear.


	12. Chapter 12: A Lie Right?

**Red-Weasel-Chan: It is finally done! I finished this chapter after months of having a block! I hope you guys enjoy it because the next chapter is sadness induced crying which is the same thing as being sad anyways but you get the point.**

 **Also, I hope all you lovelies had an amazing Thanksgiving, Christmas, Holidays time or just a great few months I was gone. :)**

 **Love you guys long time!**

 **Lullaby says she loves you guys too~! :3**

Saiyuki Gaiden - Chapter 12

"Ah, I see the number of injuries has increased," Li Touten said in a gentle voice. "That must undoubtedly be painful, poor child."

Nataku looked into his father's eyes, somewhat mesmerized by how he was staring back.

"Nataku. You're always doing so well for me. You are my pride," Li Touten continued to praise his son. He even had a small smile on his face.

The heretic was still in his trance, unable to move. Every time they were alone, Li Touten became kind. It made him more fearful in what the evil man would do. Despite that fear, Nataku became unable to move or say anything. He couldn't run away like what he wanted to.

"You're an extension of myself," Li Touten said as he unrobed his son to view the rest of his injuries. "You alone are my everything, Nataku."

' _I become entranced by his affection.'_

* * *

"Just around that time, an unusually high number of powerful monsters appeared in the lower world," Tenpou continued his story. "Naturally, the Heavenly Army was dispatched more often since then."

" _Amaya! Can you clean the washroom?"_

" _Admiral! Please pick up the training room! Eizen and I need to go!"_

" _Amaya! Glad I caught you. I need you to iron my shirt for a date I'm going on. Need to impress the lady right?"_

" _Hey princess. Take these papers to Goujun. Also, he's really pissed at us so beware. Thanks!"_

" _What are you doing?! You can't go out there! Only real men like us can fight!"_

" _Sorry to bother you Admiral but can you clean my office?"_

 _That was basically the story of the new Admiral's three months. There were times she snapped but she did so in private. She didn't want her idiot squad members to see her break. Even though she hated every moment the past three months, she refused to let them see her crack._

 _So, she did every single request they asked of her. She even talked normally to the rest of the squad except for her superiors. She wanted to wring their necks because every time she saw them, she ended up doing a stupid task. She was even asked to be their maid but she yelled at them for that._

 _Amaya fell on her bed face first, getting back from cleaning up a mess her squad made. She really wanted to quit. She wanted to throw in the towel and be done with this kind of torture but she knew if she did, she would be angry with herself._

 _She felt her eyelids start to shut, telling her to take a nap but she jumped up when her door was slammed open. "Amaya. We got another monster down below," she heard her bodyguard say. "We need to meet everybody at the gate."_

 _Amaya sighed as she got up, not looking forward to another expedition where she was thrown behind all the men and being told to not get in the way. "Alright, let's get this show on the road," she grumbled, picking up her dual elbow blades as she exited her room._

* * *

" _So, you think we won?" Kenren asked his friend who was reading another one of his many books._

 _Tenpou didn't even look up as he said, "Won what?"_

" _Won the deal with Goujun," Kenren clarified._

" _Ah, maybe."_

" _Why do you say maybe?" the General questioned, curious as to why he said so._

" _Because we have until tomorrow to see if we really did win," Tenpou replied, slapping his book closed to find another. "Always remember that a lot can happen in a short amount of time."_

 _Kenren grunted, seeing as his friend was right. Their moment was interrupted when one of their soldiers barged in. "I apologize for interrupting but we have another monster down below! An immediate expedition is needed to subdue the beast!"_

 _The two superiors let out a sigh. "Go alert the others and we will meet at the gate," Tenpou ordered._

" _Yes sir!"_

* * *

"With so many monsters, I honestly have to say that it was too much for us to handle."

" _Gah! Fall back!"_

" _Sir, it's impossible!"_

" _Even if we try containing them in the lower world, with these numbers…"_

" _And the reinforcements?" Tenpou asked in a calm tone so that he wouldn't freak out his soldiers._

" _I've contacted the Eastern Army but they've already been deployed. We're shorthanded," a blonde soldier answered with a down look._

" _I guess it can't be helped," Tenpou said as he pushed up his glasses. "So you're saying that either way we've got our hands full?"_

" _He's saying that there are too many of those beasts," Kenren said, glaring at his two targets close by. "Maybe we should start advertising for new recruits…"_

 _Tenpou scoffed lightly, "I doubt anyone would show up, considering the circumstances."_

 _Kenren nodded in agreement as he looked at the scary sight. Two of his comrades were running away from two huge beasts that looked like a weird kind of fish creature. Their roar rumbled the ground, sending fear down anybody's spines. He held up his arm to shield his eyes from rubble coming his way._

" _Ah!" another soldier screamed out, more rocks coming their way from the attacks of the monsters._

" _Admiral! Get back! This is way too dangerous!"_

" _I can handle myself! Worry about your own asses!" the Admiral growled out. She heard another loud boom behind her, expecting a rock to hit her but was surprised when she didn't feel anything. She looked behind her and saw her bodyguard protecting her from a few huge rocks. "Thanks Chao Li," she said with a small smile._

" _Don't worry about it. It's my job to look after your troublesome ass," Chao Li teased but with serious intent behind it. He refused to let his ward get hurt under his watch._

 _Amaya shot a quick glare at her friend but caught a glance of her two superiors nearby. She started to slowly make her way towards them to come up with a plan but she had to go slow between the rocks still flying around and the ground breaking beneath her._

" _It would probably be more economical if less people were lured out," Tenpou grumbled under his breath as he tied his hair in a ponytail. "Alright. All troops, stay clear of the lower world and await my orders."_

" _What?!" Kenren exclaimed in shock. "Are you going to-Hey! Wait!" The General could only watch as his superior started to run towards the beasts._

" _I'm leaving the squad in your care!" Tenpou called out, not even looking back. All he could hear was his soldiers yelling at him to come back but he didn't listen. He needed to save his friends._

 _The Marshal ran past the beasts and yelled as loud as possible, "Where are you looking at?! I'm over here!"_

 _The beasts heard him and looked away from the squad, focusing on their leader. Tenpou sprinted a bit faster in order to avoid a clawed foot coming his way. He looked behind him to see both monsters following him. 'Yes. If I could just lure them away a little further…' he thought as he continued to run._

 _He was so focused on luring them away he didn't notice the ground in front of him begin to crumble. He didn't notice until another huge beast with horns sticking out of his mouth popped out, ready to strike. "Shit!" Tenpou cursed, trying to find a way out of the deadly situation but couldn't find one. He was trapped. The only thing he could do was brace himself for the attack._

 _Tenpou closed his eyes, bracing for the attack when he felt himself being pushed down. He managed to look to see who it was that knocked him off his feet and was surprised to see black hair and red eyes. He couldn't even say the woman's name to warn her that the beast was about to attack._

 _She was already hit._

 _Amaya was slammed into a nearby boulder, the monster not even noticing it hit the wrong person. It looked at the woman it hit, relishing in the fact it nearly killed somebody coming after it. Tenpou was too shocked to react as the beast went after his Admiral. The only thing he could do was watch as it took a few steps to reach its next meal._

 _Luckily, a flash of purple cut the monster's ankle, causing it to fall on its face. It groaned in pain, unable to stand back up from how clumsy it was. Chao Li, the one who knocked it down, didn't even care about it anymore. He called out his ward's name to find out if she was still conscious. He panicked a little when no response came. He ran to the boulder and started to dig through rubble to find his reckless friend._

 _Tenpou stood up, his shock wearing off, and went towards the bodyguard to help but was stopped when the beast made another move to stand up. It was stopped when it was shot by a few rounds by Kenren, who was just now running up to the scene. He jumped up on top of the beast's head and fired a few more shots to make sure the anesthetic kicked in soon._

 _Tenpou let out a small sigh, looking around to see the other two beasts already sedated. That made things a lot easier now that all three monsters were out cold. He looked at his friend coming his way and said, "The anesthetic is working."_

" _Yeah. Just bites that we can't even kill when you want to," Kenren grumbled out, his eyebrows furrowed together. "Makes us, who live here in Heaven, look pitiful."_

 _Tenpou saw the way the man's shoulders were tense, like he was ready to punch the next thing that came up to him. "You're angry, huh?" he asked the obvious question._

" _Angry doesn't even cut it!" Kenren snapped but sighed once he heard multiple footsteps running towards them. "And I'm not the only one."_

 _Tenpou also heard the footsteps coming their way, already knowing it was the rest of their squad. He looked at them once they stopped in front of them, all looking like they were offended to some degree. He was slightly confused but had a feeling why._

" _Marshal! Are you alright, Marshal?!" one soldier yelled, concerned for his superior._

" _General! Is everything alright?!" another asked the officer that beat them to the scene._

" _Where is the Admiral?"_

 _That seemed to clear Tenpou's mind, as he jolted a little from the realization. He looked behind him and saw Chao Li had already dug her out of the rubble. She did not look well. Blood was falling from her head and it looked like her arm might have been broken. That's just from the outside. Who knew what else was broken that wasn't showing._

 _The rest of the soldiers followed their superior's gaze and were shocked to see the woman in such terrible shape._

" _Oh no!"_

" _What happened to the Admiral?!"_

" _We told her not to get in our way and now look!"_

" _Shut up!" Chao Li shouted, tired of the men's words. He glared at them, especially at the two superiors. "She just saved your Marshal's life! Stop looking down on her so much and maybe you'll see how strong she really is!"_

 _That shut the squad's mouths really quick. This guy was right. They spent so much time and effort to try to make her quit that they didn't realize that she was someone that could watch over them like an Admiral should. They suddenly felt like shit. This woman, the very one that they thought was useless, just risked her own life to save their superior._

" _Get her to the medical unit immediately," Tenpou's order broke the silence._

 _The soldiers didn't need to be told twice. "Yes sir!" was the unison reply. Half the squad left to get the gate ready while the other half stayed behind to tend to their superiors. Tenpou waved off his help, seeing as he only had small scratch and Kenren waved off his help, his only injury a cut on his forehead. Both men looked on as two soldiers went to help Chao Li with Amaya but he shoved them away._

" _I can take care of her," was his only answer when asked if he was sure._

 _Kenren and Tenpou went up to the bodyguard when the soldiers left. They didn't know what to say or do but they felt the need to make sure the woman was ok. Chao Li seemed to sense their unease as they just stood there, staring at the woman in his arms._

" _Don't worry about her," the bodyguard broke the awkward silence. "She may not look like it, but she can handle a lot worse."_

 _Kenren and Tenpou could only nod stiffly, not knowing how to reply. They were worried about the woman for the first time since they met and they didn't know how to react. "Need any help?" Kenren asked, moving to assist the man in carrying the admiral._

 _Chao Li shook his head, "Nah. She's as light as a feather. Plus, take care of yourself first."_

 _The men looked over their injuries. To them it was simple stuff but maybe it wasn't such a good idea to be carrying someone in their condition._

" _Marshal! The gate is ready!"_

" _That's our cue. Let's hurry up and get her to the medics," Chao Li said, taking the first steps towards the direction of the gate. At first he didn't hear footsteps behind him to indicate that his superiors were following but a few moments later, he did. He had to hold in his smirk._

 _These guys finally figured it out._

* * *

 _The silence in the room was near suffocating. After they walked the Admiral and her bodyguard to the medical unit, they were kicked out once Kenren's head was bandaged up. They couldn't even tell the medic to let them know when it will be ok to come back because the door was slammed in their face._

 _Seeing as they had nothing to do there, the two superiors headed back to their office. Tenpou was leaning on his desk, his face in his arms as he smoked a cigarette. Kenren was lounging on the couch a few feet away, also smoking a cigarette. The two men didn't say much at first. Their minds clouded with what transpired an hour ago._

 _Tenpou glanced at his friend, seeing him with a bored look but knew he was deep in thought. He felt bad for what he did. For running off and leaving his men without a second thought. "My apologies. I acted rashly," Tenpou finally said._

 _Kenren didn't even look back at the lazy man. He was still focused on something else. "Well, everything turned out ok," he replied._

" _Besides having our admiral almost killed," Tenpou reminded. That brought a downer in the room. The two men sighed, their thoughts still troubled. "I think we lost."_

" _Heh, you too?" Kenren asked his friend with a smirk._

 _Tenpou hummed in agreement. "You see, not too long ago I let one of my men get killed."_

" _Is that so?"_

" _I think the reason why I froze is because I had a moment of déjà vu. Seeing her sacrifice herself brought back memories of when I let my soldier get killed," Tenpou confessed, taking a long drag from his cigarette. The only people that knew about this incident was the few that knew the soldier. They didn't blame him though and that's what made him upset. He could take the yelling and the blame but hearing his men say that it wasn't his fault made him feel horrible._

 _Kenren looked back at the marshal with a raised eyebrow. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, I was about to let my superior officer get killed along with the admiral."_

 _Tenpou's gloom lifted a bit at those words. He scratched the back of his head, then chuckled, "Somehow, both of us look like losers."_

" _Pfft, yeah right! I always look awesome," Kenren said, his confidence filling the whole room._

" _It would've been cooler if you hadn't said that yourself, you know," Tenpou teased with his own smirk, the gloominess of the moment lifting._

" _Shut up!" Kenren grumbled, his confidence going down a few notches. "Hey, but seriously. What are we going to do about our hero?"_

" _What else are we supposed to do? We can't kick out our hero after what she's done," Tenpou replied, putting out his cigarette in the frog ashtray._

 _Kenren chuckled, "Hell yeah. Plus, she kinda grew on me."_

" _I as well."_

" _Marshal! General!"_

 _The two men jumped a bit at the door slamming open. They looked to see one of their men, panting heavily. "What is it?" Tenpou asked, a bit worried about the news._

 _The soldier took a second to compose himself before he smiled, "She's awake."_

* * *

" _Stop scratching your cast! You're going to need more medical work if you keep this up idiot!"_

" _But it itches!"_

" _Stop bending your body! You already have two broken ribs!"_

" _I need to pop my back and you won't help me!"_

" _Because it's going to make your situation even worse! Now lay down and rest stupid!"_

" _You're not the boss of me! Lay off!"_

" _Don't make me call your father over here! Or would you rather have Yuki on your ass?"_

 _That seemed to shut the woman up. She stopped moving around crazily and actually laid on the bed, but she crossed her arms in a bratty way._

 _Chao Li let out a heavy sigh, "Seriously, you've been knocked out cold from serious injuries and the first thing you do is try to make it worse. How are you even still alive?"_

 _Amaya just kept her gaze anywhere but her bodyguard._

" _Hey, stop pouting. Be thankful that you are still alive," Chao Li reminded. He crossed his arms in front of him as well, sighing for what felt like the hundredth time that day. "Because if you did die, your father would kill my ass and then Yuki would kill me again."_

 _Amaya let out a chuckle, thinking about it. Her father would definitely kill her bodyguard if she died. He was always super protective of his daughters after their mother's passing. That was why he hired the two best bodyguards for her and her sibling._

" _And I don't want to hear those two idiots complaining as I go either," Chao Li added with a grumble. "They need to get their shit straight."_

 _That made the woman curious seeing as he was no longer talking about her family members. "Who are you talking about idiot?"_

 _Chao Li threw a glare her way, "Who do you think? Your two superiors."_

 _Amaya raised an eyebrow, "What the hell are you talking about? Have you not been here at all for the past three months? They obviously want me out of the squad."_

 _It was the bodyguard's turn to raise his eyebrow before he let out a laugh. "You're so oblivious sometimes," he snickered. Amaya went to try and smack him but her ribs didn't allow her to go far. Chao Li noticed it and shook his head, "Idiot. They love you."_

 _Amaya nearly fell out of her bed from how hard she jumped. She shook her head furiously, ignoring the headache coming forward. "I-I-Impossible! Don't say stupid things like that Chao Li!"_

" _I'm not lying!" Chao Li argued, trying to get his ward to understand the situation. "They were worried about you. Hell, they nearly knocked down anyone in their path to get you here."_

 _Amaya continued to shake her head in denial. There was no way her two superiors would do that for her. They wanted her to leave. Right?_

" _And don't even get me started on the squad. They were twice as bad. Eizen was a nervous wreck when they said they couldn't see you. Goyou had to drag him away from the door. Rikuou looked like a sad puppy. Pretty sure he's still the closest one to the door," Chao Li rambled, thinking back to when he had to step over a few people on his way here. He even admits that it's kind of strange how easily the men of the Western Army changed their view on his ward but he is also glad. They needed to see that she wasn't useless and this incident showed them that._

" _Y-You really think so Chao Li?" the admiral mumbled, her loud voice now a near whisper._

 _Chao Li smirked, "Why don't you see for yourself?"_

 _Amaya was confused at her bodyguard's response, watching him stand up and go to her door. He opened it and her answer was clear. Out in the hallway from what she could see, was her entire squad. Some were sitting in chairs that were offered while the rest were on the floor, leaning against the wall as support as they slept. Her heart fluttered, feeling overjoyed at the sight. Her bodyguard was right._

" _And speak of the devils, here comes your superiors," Chao Li said, stepping aside to let the two men come in. "News went out fast. I'm surprised you guys got here so quick."_

" _Well, we couldn't wait to see our knight in shining armor," Kenren teased, winking at the woman. Amaya threw a glare his way, which he chuckled at._

" _And we could've gotten here sooner but the men in the hallway made it difficult," Tenpou gestured to the still snoring men in the hall._

" _Didn't know you were such a magnet for men sweetheart," the general said with a smirk._

" _I didn't know they were there. I thought they all hated me," Amaya honestly said, looking down at her hands. "Like you guys."_

 _The two men shuffled their feet, suddenly nervous. They didn't know how to voice out their thoughts correctly to the woman. Tenpou knew how to plan battle strategies while Kenren knew how to get into a woman's pants. They weren't sure about admitting they were wrong and wanting their admiral to stay._

 _Amaya looked away from her twiddling fingers to her superiors when they were silent. Her heart dropped at their expressions. Maybe her bodyguard was wrong. Maybe they still hated her and just showed up to finalize her transfer._

" _Ok, I get it," she broke the silence. The men's heads shot up, thinking that was the easiest emotional talk ever. Their faces dropped at her next words. "Once I'm checked out, I'll go sign the papers with Goujun and leave."_

" _W-What?" Kenren barely whispered, not believing his ears. Tenpou was shocked as well, staring at the woman with wide eyes._

" _I'm sorry for causing you trouble."_

" _Wait," Kenren said, his voice a bit louder now._

" _I'll leave by tomorrow."_

" _Admiral," Tenpou's voice finally worked, trying to stop his soldier from rambling._

" _It was nice working under you tw-."_

" _Amaya!" Kenren's yell startled everyone, even the entire squad in the hallway. Once it was quiet, the general took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair. "Look, I know at first we didn't like you. All of us tried to get you to quit. But…"_

" _But you proved to us that we were wrong," Tenpou admitted with a small smile. "You proved to us that you deserved a spot here. Without you, I wouldn't be here. So, thank you for saving me Admiral."_

" _Thank you for ironing my shirt! My date loved it!" a soldier yelled from the back._

" _Thank you for cleaning up the training area! We promise to pick up after ourselves from now on!"_

" _Thank you for keeping the washroom clean! It's like showering in an even better heaven!"_

" _Thank you for the meal you cooked! It was delicious!"_

 _Kenren chuckled lightly at all the 'thank you's his men were spouting. He turned to the admiral and smiled, "And thanks for putting up with us ants."_

 _Amaya could feel her face flush, her heart beating erratically from all the happiness she was feeling. She looked at her superiors and the group of men huddled around her door, feeling their sincere gazes at her. It almost made her cry._

" _So, I guess what we're trying to say," Tenpou drawled out, feeling his nerves get to him again._

 _Kenren noticed his friend's uneasiness and finished it up. He held out his hand, his smile still shining and asked, "Would you please stay with us?"_

 _Amaya couldn't stop them. Her tears broke free and they fell down her cheeks, surprising everybody in the room, except her bodyguard who was laughing at the chaos she started. The squad freaked out seeing the normally strong woman break down and started yelling._

" _General! Marshal! Why did you make her cry?!" Rikuou exclaimed, holding his head in panic._

" _I didn't mean to!" Kenren argued. "I thought it was a cool move!"_

" _Well now look! She's crying! Way to go guys!" Eizen accused._

" _We're sorry Amaya! Please forgive us!" Tenpou apologized, feeling like the bad guy._

" _Hey! How about we bring you some food? Girls like food when they're upset right?" Kenren desperately asked, trying to fix the problem he created._

" _Chocolate usually helps!" Rikuou offered. "I have some from the last time we went Down Below!"_

" _Great! We can use that!"_

" _Not unless she's allergic," Eizen broke the happiness._

 _The squad felt their plan crack in half and shatter._

" _Shit! We can't poison her!"_

" _Oh! How about a gift? Girl's like gifts right?"_

" _Yes! We can get her some flowers or maybe a vase?"_

 _Chao Li continued to watch the squad think up a plan to stop his ward from crying. He wanted to tell them that she didn't like any of the stuff they thought up of but it was still so amusing to watch. He was so caught up in watching the chaos that he almost didn't see the woman move. He needed to tell her that it's not a good idea to move but something told him not to stop her. So, he watched as she slowly swung her legs over the edge of the bed and carefully stood up._

" _Ok! We have a plan guys! Now let's go get – Huh?" Kenren stopped barking orders when he felt an arm around his shoulders. Tenpou also stopped his actions when the same thing happened to him. The two superiors looked between them to see a head of long black hair._

" _I'll stay," Amaya barely whispered out, all her strength nearly gone from her standing up to hug her bosses. "Just please, stop yelling."_

 _Kenren and Tenpou looked at each other, giving the other a knowing look. They may have lost, but they gained something near irreplaceable. They returned the hug, careful not to squeeze her too much because of her ribs._

" _Ok darlin'. We won't yell anymore today," Kenren gently said._

" _Just promise us that you will rest up well," Tenpou said as he watched her breathing turn steady._

 _Amaya could only hum in response, lightly squeezing the men in her arms to show she heard them._

" _Good. Now – AH! Amaya!" Kenren quickly grabbed the woman falling and held her close to him. "Hey! Hey! Amaya! Shit! We need to-!"_

 _Chao Li popped up in front of the general and looked at his ward with calculating eyes. He checked her pulse and breathing, nodding his head. "She's fine. Just overexerted herself."_

" _How do you know?" Tenpou asked, worried about his new friend._

" _She's breathing normally and her pulse is fine. If she wasn't, her breathing would be erratic and her pulse would be sky high," Chao Li replied like it was nothing. "You guys should know this. It's simple medical stuff." The entire squad, except Eizen, looked away to show they didn't know a thing about medical stuff. Chao Li shook his head as he grumbled, "Idiots."_

" _So, she just needs to rest?" Kenren asked as he put the woman back on the bed and put the blanket on her._

 _Chao Li nodded, "Yeah. But can one of you guys stay here for a second? I need to go tell her family what happened."_

" _We'll stay," Tenpou answered for the entire squad._

 _Chao Li was a bit shocked by the response but thought nothing of it. Before he left, he looked back one last time and saw the most guarded room in all medical history. He smirked and couldn't help but think: You're no longer lonely Amaya._

* * *

 _Few days later, Amaya was back on her feet but still had to be careful not to strain herself. Yesterday, they met up with their superior to tell him that she's staying. Goujun wasn't too shocked about the news but he was surprised to see the entire Western Army behind the three officers. It was like a huge barrier around the woman and she wasn't too thrilled about it. Goujun had to stop himself from smiling at the annoyed look she had._

 _Now, as the admiral was walking to turn in some papers, the situation didn't change. She was still in the middle of the barrier of soldiers with her bodyguard next to her. "You know, if you guys were coming with me, you could've turned in the papers and I could've stayed at the office."_

" _But then we would've stayed with you and the papers wouldn't have been turned in," Tenpou replied from in front of her._

" _And Goujun wouldn't be happy sweetheart," Kenren added to the stupid logic._

 _Amaya glared at the tall men in front of her, "This is ridiculous. How long are you guys going to do this?"_

" _Until you're back at 100% Admiral," Eizen said to the left of her._

" _Yeah, we don't need you to go back to the medical unit again because you fell on your healing ribs," Rikuou lectured to the right of her._

" _She won't fall because I'm with her 24/7," Chao Li reminded, also a bit annoyed at how protective the squad was acting._

" _She might fall when she's using the bathroom. That's why we're all here," Goyou argued, a smirk on his face._

" _Speaking of, we need to talk about bathroom privacy," Amaya groaned out, thinking about the last time she had to use the women's room. It was an absolute nightmare._

 _As the squad continued to talk, Kenren and Tenpou saw a guy coming their way at the end of the hall. "Men. Eyes front," Kenren interrupted the conversation. The squad turned their attention to the front of them and got into position. Amaya and Chao Li just rolled their eyes at how stupid the men were acting. The guy in question was a simple servant holding a few papers. Probably doing what they were doing and returning them to somebody._

 _The poor guy didn't even get three feet from the barrier and Kenren already pushed him roughly to the side. His papers went everywhere and he hit the wall with great force._

" _Kenren," Amaya sighed out, not believing her general did that._

 _Kenren instead smirked smugly at the guy who was just now gathering his scattered papers. "Sorry but next time, watch where you're going," he said instead of apologizing._

 _The servant just watched as the barrier around the woman continued on. "I wasn't anywhere close!" he harshly whispered, terrified he might be pushed down again. He now knew to never mess with the black haired woman if he ever saw her again. She had a whole army under her wing that would do anything for her._

* * *

 _On the other side of Heaven, something not so happy was going on._

" _What did you want to show me, Li Touten?" God asked the man kneeling before him._

" _Well, presently it appears that the Heavenly Army is having a hard time," Li Touten cautiously began, "At this point, don't you agree that we're in need of a being permitted to kill; The Fighting God?"_

 _God looked at the man with a raised eyebrow, "What are you saying?'_

 _Li Touten turned to the entrance causing the others to look as well. "Please enter, Nataku."_

 _The door opened to reveal a blonde boy wearing a large, almost baggy white robe._

* * *

"This is the new Fighting God and you know what happened after that," Tenpou finished his story. "Nataku was found suitable to be the Fighting God."

Konzen and Yuki stared at the man with a confused look. Konzen was more or less glaring while Yuki was honestly just confused. "Hang on a sec!" Konzen growled out. "Didn't you leave out something important just now?"

Tenpou chuckled and waved his hand nonchalantly, "It can't be helped. That's as much of the story as I've heard. Anything more than that would simply be my own speculations."

Konzen and Yuki let out a sigh, feeling more or less unsatisfied. They needed to know more but like Tenpou, they were left to wonder.

"The truth about Nataku is kept top secret by the Emperor himself and those at the very top," Tenpou continued, taking a small drag from his cigarette. "It's highly possible the Li Touten created Nataku himself. An artificial being like that, it'd be fine to consider it as a weapon. A plausible rumor, spreading throughout the army, even says that he's the spawn of a God and a Demon."

"Something like that wouldn't be permitted," Konzen quickly replied. He looked to his secretary and saw her eyes wide with shock. She couldn't believe her ears. How could Li Touten do something like this?

Tenpou also saw the kind woman's expression. He didn't want her to be involved but it also was her choice. It was for Goku in her eyes. "But it was permitted. Since Heaven needed a Fighting God so desperately. But I suspect that the one who created the need for a fighting God was Li Touten himself."

That made Konzen shocked. "W-What are you saying?"

"I think it's highly probable," Tenpou said his speculation. "The recent surges of troop deployments, the lack of new troop recruitments, and the sudden appearance of a new Fighting God. It's all too perfect."

It did make sense. Everything seemed to fight perfectly and it all started with Li Touten's burning hate for the upper level.

"Undoubtedly, Li Touten holds a grudge against the upper level of Heaven, so he must have some ulterior motives. Currently, the one who threatens his position is Goku who might become the Fighting God."

"So what you're saying Tenpou, is that he intends to get rid of Goku's existence. Even if he has to use Nataku to do it?" Yuki asked, a bit afraid of the answer.

Tenpou nodded slowly, "That is correct."

"What are you guys talking about?"

That voice startled everyone. The three adults looked to the door to see Goku standing there, his eyes wide like he's seen a ghost. He was holding a few books he brought so Yuki could read them to him but it was long forgotten. He heard what they said.

"Goku?!" Konzen exclaimed, his heart dropping at the look the child was giving them.

Yuki stood up and slowly walked towards the child, "Sweetie, what do you have the-."

"What do you guys mean by getting rid of my existence?" Goku interrupted his caretaker which was surprising since he never did that to the woman.

Yuki looked back at the two men, almost pleading for help but they were as silent as her. None of them knew what to do.

"It's a lie, right?" Goku asked, wanting someone to answer him. "Nataku wouldn't do that to me, right?"

Goku waited for what felt like forever to hear an answer but never did. He dropped the books and bolted out the door.

"Goku! That idiot!" he heard Konzen call out.

"Goku! Please wait!" Yuki's voice was next.

But he didn't stop. He continued to run away, to get away from the people that told him lies about his best friend. He didn't even realize where he was going. He just needed to see Nataku and see if it was true.

' _My name. I need to tell Nataku my name!'_ he thought as he headed towards Nataku's house.

"Goku! Ugh, please Goku! Wait a moment!" Tenpou called out to the child with Konzen, Yuki and Yun Li behind him. They ran after the heretic but he slowly got further and further away. Konzen and Yuki, not used to this kind of physical exertion, fell behind and Tenpou left them.

Konzen leaned against the wall, holding his chest to try and get his breathing back together. Yuki stood next him, her hands on her knees to keep herself from falling. Yun Li was behind them, breathing a bit more than usual but he was fine. He kept an eye on his ward, making sure she didn't faint.

Konzen's mind was racing. He tried so hard to catch up to the child but he could never do so. His aunt's words rang in his mind. _"Can you be the sun for that little one?"_ He slammed his fist on the wall, angry with himself. "What can I do?"

Yuki looked up to her boss, waiting for him to clarify what he meant.

Konzen didn't even notice her curious eyes. He was only focused on the heretic being that they were chasing after. "There must be something I can do for Goku!"

Yuki finally understood what he meant. He was upset with himself over Goku. She knew what he was going through because she was also going through the same thing. How could they do something for this innocent child that was brought here for the all the wrong reasons? This boy deserved something better. Her mind flashed her an image of the three together.

They were under the cherry blossom tree, smiling and laughing. Goku didn't have on the shackles and Konzen was holding him in his arms as she stood next to them. It brought her so much joy to see that picture. They were a happy family.

Konzen was startled out of his thoughts by a hand on his shoulder. He looked to find reassuring brown eyes, relaxing him a little bit. "It's ok Konzen. We will find him and take him to the cherry blossom tree. "

The blonde's heart stuttered for a moment then began to fill with determination. He grabbed the woman's hand on his shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. "Let's go get our troublesome monkey."

Yuki nodded her head, "Yeah."

* * *

"Fighting God Nataku, please step forward!"

The crowd of people gathered around where the Fighting God would appear. They would mumble and talk to themselves as they waited for the God to show up. "Nataku's army is getting deployed again."

"Thanks to him we can relax."

"Yeah, it's all thanks to our gracious Fighting God."

Kenren was also part of the crowd but hiding from the guard's views. He couldn't stand what the people were saying. If only they knew what was going on behind the curtains. His company next to him thought the same thing. All three of them wanted to stop the gathering but with what happened a few days ago, it would not be wise.

"Li Touten. We're entrusting the matter of subjugation to you," God ordered from his throne.

"As you wish," Li Touten replied as he bowed his head. He and his son began to stand up to leave but yelling behind them interrupted them.

"What's up with this kid?!"

"Let go of me! Let go!"

"Stop struggling!"

"Nataku!" the door slammed open as the yell echoed through the hall.

Nataku looked at their guest, shocked to see the boy he met awhile back. He was breathing heavily like he had been running for a great distance. "You…" was the only word he could say before a pair of hands grabbed his shoulders.

"It's a lie, right?!" Goku yelled, his eyes showing all the worry he was feeling. "That you're going to kill me. It's a lie! Isn't it, Nataku?"

Nataku could only stare at his friend with wide eyes.

"Goku?!" Kenren jumped at the child's voice. He was trying to get to him once he saw the head of brown hair by the War God. "Amaya! We need to get to him. Fast!"

Amaya was already maneuvering around the crowd of people. She may not know the full story behind Goku and Nataku but anything with Li Touten meant trouble. Chao Li was behind her, shoving behind away from him. He knew that this was going to turn to shit real soon if they didn't get Goku out of there.

"Who's this kid?! Throw him out!" a guard yelled next to Li Touten.

Li Touten simply raised his hand to halt the guard from taking action. "Wait a moment," he said as he walked up to his son. "Seems like he got wind of something. From Tenpou perhaps?"

Nataku jumped slightly when he felt a familiar hand on his shoulder.

"It's fine. Nataku, kill him right where he stands," Li Touten whispered to the War God.

" _So, it has begun. I won't help or hinder it, because this is your battle,"_ Kanzeon told to nobody in particular as she watched the chaos brewing in front of her. Fate has already begun playing in this story.


	13. Chapter 13: Someday

**Weasel-Chan: Hello once again! Here is a chapter made especially for you~! Also, I realized I didn't go into detail of what Chao and Yun's weapons look like. Chao's weapon - Look up Lisa Yadomaru's Shikai from Bleach and that's it. Yun's weapon is Shunsui's Shikai from Bleach. I'm never good at explaining weapons. Oh. And Amaya's, if you're confused by my writing, her weapon is dual elbow blades.**

 **Yay.**

 **Now, enjoy the chapter before shit starts getting sad.**

 **Love ya guys :3**

 **Dark sends her love in piles.**

Chapter 13 – Someday

"Kill him."

The whole room was stunned by the man's words. Kenren even halted going through the crowd, shocked to hear the corrupt man say that out loud. Amaya and Chao Li also stopped, red eyes scanning the room for any guards going after the heretic. Both children looked at each other with wide eyes, not knowing what to do in the moment.

Goku was the one who broke the silence. He reared around to Li Touten and landed a hard punch to Li Touten's face. He continued to glare at the man now on the floor, angry with him. "You bastard! This is your fault!" Goku yelled. "Telling Nataku weird stuff like that!"

Goku went for another punch but his arm didn't get far. Gold eyes looked behind him to see emotionless purple orbs. "Get away from my father," Nataku said in a monotone voice.

"Na…ta…?" Goku mumbled, too shocked to even say his friend's full name. Why was he doing this? Why was he protecting this bad man? He stared into the blank expression of his friend, hoping to see any sign that he was joking.

"My father is my Lord. I do whatever he tells me to do. My father is my reason for living. Whoever harms my father, no matter who it is, I'll kill him," Nataku said as he manifested his sword. Goku could only watch with bated breath as the weapon came down, ready to kill him.

Luckily, Kenren popped up in the nick of time and blocked the attack with his own sword he snatched from a random guard. That sudden movement surprised both children out of their moments. Goku broke out of his shock to yell, "Ken-Nii!"

Kenren and Nataku were locked in a battle. Nataku trying to kill his friend and the general trying to stop him. "Run Goku!" Kenren yelled as he managed to push the fighting God away a few feet.

Li Touten smirked at the scene in front of him. "You mean to interfere, General Kenren?" the man asked, chuckling evilly. "How convenient! Kill him too, Nataku!"

That statement seemed to unlock the God's fighting spirit. He needed to fulfill his father's commands. And if he wanted that man dead, so be it.

Nataku unleashed an attack of energy around him, knocking Kenren back into a crowd of guards. Goku watched as the military man was sent flying, calling out his name. He turned to the War God with desperation in his eyes as he said, "Stop it, Nataku!"

Nataku didn't seem to hear him as he took a step forward towards the general. Kenren prepared himself for the attack. Nataku leapt forward, his sword ready to strike low but was stopped by a short blade on an elbow blade. He looked up but was slightly shocked to meet a woman's face only a few inches away from his.

Kenren was equally surprised to see his admiral in front of him, blocking the attack meant for him. "Amaya?! What are you doing?" he exclaimed, a bit upset to see the woman in a dangerous situation. "Take Goku and get out of here!"

"Shut up!" Amaya growled out. "I am not leaving here without you either!" Kenren was about to yell at her again to leave him, but she wasn't having it. She looked away from her opponent for a split second to signal her bodyguard. "Chao Li!"

Nataku barely had enough time to react. He yanked his sword out from underneath the elbow blade and spun around to block a strike aimed for his arm. His purple eyes narrowed at the spear, then glanced back to its owner. Chao Li's glare was intense, his eyes telling the boy he wasn't backing down. Nataku read him loud and clear as he pushed the blade away from him, jumping forward to attack the bodyguard.

Amaya helped Kenren up and jumped into the fray. Both officers' minds on one thing. They couldn't let Nataku fight with Goku. They just couldn't. They wouldn't allow that poor child to fight the War God he considered his best friend.

What they didn't know was that their golden eyed heretic was already heartbroken. Goku could only stand and watch in heartache as his friends fought. "What are you doing, Nataku?!" Goku cried out, feeling tears fall down his cheeks. "Stop! Ken-Nii! Aya-Nee! Chao Li! Nataku!" The fight continued with equal ferocity. Goku's tears turned into a continuous stream. "I don't want this!"

As the battle went on, the crowd thought it was some kind of game. Even though it was a serious situation, everybody acted as though it was a show. "Wow! Look at the Toushin, General, Admiral, and her bodyguard go!" one person commented.

"This is definitely worth seeing!" another agreed, their expressions full of smiles and interest.

In the middle of the crowd, Tenpou stood frozen in shock at the scene unfolding in front of him. His General, Admiral, and her bodyguard fighting in a battle to the death. His only thoughts seemed to repeat as he asked himself, _"How did this happen?"_

He looked to the fight, flinching each time the War God's blade went too close to his officers. He then turned his stare to the crying child a few feet away from the battle. His heart broke at the sight. _"How did this happen?!"_ he heard himself ask again.

Tenpou then heard a malicious laugh nearby. "Ahahaha! That's my boy, Nataku! Kill them all!" Li Touten's voice boomed in the room as he continued to laugh like a maniac.

That seemed to be the answer to the Marshal's question. It was all because of that man.

Tenpou walked around the crowd until he was near a random military officer. Once he was near, he grabbed the sword strapped to the man's belt. "Excuse me," Tenpou said, not even looking back as the man tried to stop him. The Marshal then charged towards his target.

He swung at the man's back, ready to release some of his anger. He was startled to meet another sword to block his own. Li Touten smirked when he heard a loud boom behind him. Nataku pushed the Marshal back with enough force that the wall cracked.

"Ten-chan!" Goku yelled as he ran over to his downed friend. He started to help him up but was pushed away gently by the man. "Are you ok, Ten-chan?"

Before Tenpou could respond, he felt another pair of hands on him. He looked up to see worried red eyes. "What the hell were you thinking Tenpou?!" Amaya scolded as she looked him over for any serious injuries or blood seeping out. Tenpou could only chuckle weakly as he didn't really have an answer to that.

"Daring as ever, huh?" Kenren teased, standing next to Chao Li as the two acted like a barrier.

Tenpou scoffed at the comment but groaned out a little bit in pain. "I figured I should strike at the root," he said, finally collecting his thoughts enough to give a sufficient answer.

Kenren looked in front of him to see Nataku starting up a chant of some sort for his next attack. He then glanced behind him, his gaze unwavering to show he was serious this time. "We can't turn back now."

Tenpou nodded, slipping his glasses back on. "I never had any intention of doing so."

The two men then looked at their admiral, waiting for her answer. She felt their stares, even from a pair of golden ones. Amaya turned towards the child, seeing his worried expression. She hated that look on him. So, to make him feel a little bit better, she ruffled his hair like she saw her sister do.

Goku was a bit confused by the action. He glanced up to see if she would explain why she did that but his words left him at the smile he was given. It wasn't a silly one or even simple one. It said that everything was going to be ok. "Aya-Nee…" he mumbled, a bit lost for words.

The admiral didn't even say anything to the boy. Her smile was enough as she stood next to her officers. "Let's do this for Goku," she finally said. The men smirked, completely agreeing to her words.

Goku, however, was stunned by her words. He went to grab her sleeve but a sharp noise stopped him. The group looked to see that Nataku was already done charging up his attack. The officers didn't have enough time to avoid it. The sword hit the ground and an explosion happened. Amaya grabbed Goku to protect him from the blast while Chao Li took the brunt of their share. Kenren and Tenpou could only shield their faces but the rest of their body was hit. All three men fell to the ground after the explosion settled down.

Amaya and Goku were left to check over them.

The floor was left in ruins, pebbles and other rubble still falling to the ground. Chao Li, Kenren and Tenpou were in bad shape as their opponent still stood high. The War God didn't even have a scratch on him, like he didn't just take out three experienced military men in one blow. The room was filled with the shocked gasps of the crowd and Goku's frantic yelling to make sure his friends were ok.

Kenren looked up to Nataku, standing in the middle of the chaos, with wavering eyes. He heard Goku's yelling next to him and Amaya's worried voice. This is not what was supposed to happen. How did it come to this? They couldn't defeat Nataku and yet here they are trying to.

This is the power of a Toushin Taishi.

And it was terrifying.

* * *

Konzen, Yuki, and Yun Li were still walking down the hallways, still trying to find Goku after he heard them talking. They fell behind Tenpou and continued at their own pace since it was useless to catch up with the Marshal.

"I hope Goku is ok," Yuki said, breaking the silence. "Maybe Tenpou found him already."

Konzen and Yun Li could only think the same. It hurt seeing the kind woman in so much stress.

"We'll find him soon, Lady Yuki," Yun Li reassured his ward, patting her shoulder in comfort.

Yuki looked at her guard with a small smile to show she appreciated the gesture. She then looked to her right to the blonde. "Konzen, where do you thi-." She was interrupted by multiple pairs of feet running in the next hallway. They could hear muffled voices but couldn't make out what they were saying until they were at the hallways end.

"C'mon! Hurry!"

"We have to tell the Dragon of the Western Sea as well."

"But what could have caused something like that?"

Konzen's curiosity proved too much for him to stay put. He walked up to the three guards, his two other companions following behind him as he voiced his presence. "Hey."

"Ah. Konzen Douji and Lady Yuki!"

"What's happened?" Konzen quickly asked, not wanting to be questioned why he was out.

The three guards looked at each other, a bit unsure if they should tell the trio about what was happening. "It's in the midst of the military conference, we found out that Nataku is carrying out an order."

"What kind of order?" Yuki asked cautiously, having a bad feeling about this.

The military officer swallowed harshly, not wanting to look at the kind woman's piercing stare. "The order is to eliminate General Kenren, Marshal Tenpou, Admiral Amaya, Chao Li and some kid named Goku."

That caused their hearts to stop dead in their tracks for a few seconds.

* * *

The battle still roared in the room. Everything was nearly gone, even the people still in it. The military officers continued to protect Goku, not worrying about the screams from the crowd. Li Touten still stood in a safe corner, watching the chaos he caused unfold. A guard went up to him, barely avoiding another huge piece of rubble. "Make him stop, Li Touten! You're in the Emperor's presence!"

Li Touten didn't even look away from the battle as he said, "So what?"

"What?!" the guard exclaimed, shocked to hear those words.

"I said, so what," Li Touten repeated as he looked the guard straight in the eyes to show he wasn't joking.

Another explosion sounded in the room, knocking the officers down once again. Goku ran up to Kenren while Amaya went to Tenpou and Chao Li. Goku attempted to help Kenren up but Kenren weakly pushed him away. "Amaya! Take Goku and run!"

Goku was persistent now, as he didn't let the push deter him. He continued to try and help his friend up. "I'm not leaving Ken-Nii!"

"Goku!" Kenren yelled, trying to explain to the boy that this is serious. "Take Amaya and go!"

"I'm not leaving here without all five of us idiot!" Amaya retorted, helping her bodyguard up. "No turning back, right?!"

"Stop being so stubborn!"

As the group of friends bickered, Nataku was getting ready for the final blow. In his mind, all he heard was his father's words. _"Kill him."_ Nataku saw the perfect opportunity to strike the killing blow when Goku stood up and faced him. He leapt forward, his blade stopping right at the metal where the broken chain of Goku's collar. He was shocked to meet soft, gold eyes instead of hatred like he was expecting. His heart stuttered at his friend's words.

"Nataku. My name is Goku. Nice to meet you!"

Nataku couldn't move, his eyes staring at the smiling boy in front of him. His mind then played back to his fantasy of him and Goku in the trees, admiring the scenery and having a wonderful time. _"Someday, I'll show you all the hiding places and where there's lots of berries growing,"_ he heard himself say. He felt tears falling down his cheeks as he finally said the name of his beloved friend.

"Go…ku…"

The boy continued to smile, hearing his friend say his name but it didn't last long. Blood splattered on him as Nataku stabbed himself.

" _Someday…"_


	14. Chapter 14: Lost Love

**Weasel-Chan: Hello lovelies! :D How have you been? I hope you've been doing well. I've been pretty good considering stuff. But enough about feelings and emotions because they are about to be crushed in this chapter.**

 **I hope you enjoy this chapter and continue to read it as I write at a snail's pace. My apologies.**

 **Dark sends her love in dumpsters. How many dumpsters? Who knows.**

 **We do not own Saiyuki. Kazuya Minekura does.**

Chapter 14 – Lost Love

The room was dead silent for what seemed like forever as people witnessed the War God stab himself. The military officers couldn't speak, looking between the two children. Konzen, Yuki, and Yun Li happened to arrive as soon as it happened, stunned by the action. Goku stood there in shock, barely registering the sound of Nataku falling to the ground.

Once Nataku hit the floor that caused an uproar of yelling. The crowd called out to the fallen God, asking what was going on and if he really stabbed himself. Kenren jumped into action, holding the boy in his arms.

"Idiot! Somebody get the medics!" he yelled to the crowd. Amaya kneeled by the General, bunching up as much of the clothes as she can to try to stop the bleeding.

"How could he do this?!" Tenpou asked as he stood above his officers.

"I don't know but we need those medics now!" Chao Li emphasized back to the crowd. "Hurry!"

As the officers continued to yell for the medics, Goku couldn't move or speak. He could only watch as his friend coughed out more blood. Konzen and Yuki watched with bated breath with what their heretic was going to do. Goku was brought out of his trance when a hand tightly grabbed his wrist.

Wide gold eyes met dying purple. "Goku. Don't look that way. Look this way," Nataku whispered with all of his remaining strength.

"Huh?" Goku breathed out, not able to form a perfect sentence at the moment.

"Look at that tree over there. Way up high, there's a bird's nest," Nataku asked with a small smile, his fantasy being played in his head. "Can't you see?"

Goku listened to his friend, a picture being played in his head. It seemed so fun to be there and look at everything. His heart stopped when he felt the grip on his wrist let go and dangle in the air. Goku fell to his knees, shaking the blonde to try to wake him up. "Hey. Where is it, Nataku?"

Tenpou, Kenren, Amaya, and Chao Li looked away as they witnessed the heretic begin to shed tears again. Konzen, Yuki, and Yun Li couldn't bear to watch the child in so much pain. How could this have happened so quickly? And to such a sweet boy that just wanted a friend?

"You have to wake up and show me, Nataku," Goku choked out, his tears covering his cheeks. "I can't see it."

"Unhand him." Everyone in the crowd turned to see Li Touten walking towards Nataku. "He is my son."

Kenren and Amaya looked at each other for a moment, not sure if they should. They eventually gave in and allowed the corrupt man to take the blonde child. Goku, however, seemed frozen at his voice so close. Tenpou glared at the man's back as he walked away. "Li Touten," he called out in a warning.

"Don't worry," Li Touten said as he looked back at the officers. "This can still be of some use."

That struck everyone's heart. "You bastard!" Kenren yelled.

"You drove him to this, and you still don't get it?!" Tenpou questioned, his own anger showing.

"He couldn't even do what normal kids do!" Chao Li added, upset with this man. "He couldn't go play with his friends because of you! And yet, he still didn't betray you!"

"Don't you see his pain, you stupid old man?!" Amaya growled out, ready to bust the man's face in. "He-!"

Amaya was interrupted by the sudden scream of Goku as he charged after Li Touten. "Goku!" Konzen and Yuki yelled at the boy, trying to get him to stop. Li Touten turned around to see the child coming after him. Luckily for him, the guards nearby saw and intervened. "Pin him down!" a guard ordered.

Goku's hair was grabbed, yanking him down to the floor. "Let go. Lemme go!" Goku ground out from how hard he was being pushed into the concrete.

"Stop this!" Tenpou called out but was shut out by two spears. "W-What?!"

"Hey! What the hell?!" Kenren also got the same treatment; two spears blocking his path to Goku.

Amaya and Chao Li were also being blocked, but Amaya saw an opening and took it. She shoved her way through the guards until about halfway to the boy, she was also shoved down to ground. The military officers saw and were not happy with how she was treated, becoming more aggressive in their attempts to get out of their restraints.

"Amaya!" Tenpou called out.

"Don't you dare hurt a single hair on her bastards!" Kenren growled out.

"Arrest the rebels!" Li Touten commanded.

Yuki saw what happened and started to push her way through the crowd. "Aya!" she yelled over the deafening cacophony in the room. Her path was also met with two spears blocking her way. "Let me through!"

Konzen and Yun Li were behind her once they saw her flee towards her sister but guards were everywhere and managed to stop them only a few feet away from her. "Lady Yuki! Hang on!" Yun Li said as he tried to get through the guards in his way.

Konzen was also worried about his secretary but his attention was on the heretic they practically raised together. He was still pinned down by four guards, his eyes still shedding tears for his fallen friend. He looked so broken that it hurt. Konzen reached out with his hand, as if trying to reach the boy and yelled, "Goku!"

Goku didn't even hear his caretaker. His mind was still on Nataku. How in one instance, he went from smiling away to silence. It was too much strain on the poor child's mental state. He felt something crack on his head as he let out a piercing wail and a bright light envelopes him.

The bright light was so intense that it actually incinerated the four guards holding Goku down.

The room fell silent once again as they witnessed what happened. The guards were no longer there, not even ashes or clothes. The crowd was shocked, trying to comprehend what was going on. Even Goku's friends were stunned by what happened to the child.

"W-What was that just now?" a guard asked.

"Did that kid do it?" another questioned, a bit fearful.

"Goku?" Yuki gently called out, wanting to know if her young heretic is ok.

Everybody tensed up when Goku turned his head to reveal blood lust eyes. "N-No way…"

"What are you waiting for?!" Li Touten shouted, startling everybody. "That child is a heretic being that'll bring calamity to the heavens! Capture him at once!"

The guards jumped at the order but had no other choice to follow. "Y-Yes sir!" They approached the child and grabbed his arms to restrain him. The next instance, their arms were sliced off. Their screams were cut off because the next second, their heads were no longer on their bodies.

" _They picked up an interesting animal."_

" _Animal?" Konzen and Yuki asked on the day they were going to meet Goku._

" _Yes. He's a small but fierce little animal with eyes of gold."_

"Goku?" Konzen breathed out, shocked with what he just witnessed.

The guards seemed to forget about holding back Goku's caretakers and friends, all of them going after the child that killed their comrades. "An impure being!"

"Seize him! Arrest the monster!"

Goujun, who just arrived at the scene, automatically knew that the guards were being stupid. "Don't recklessly get close!" he yelled but it was too late. Goku had already torn them to shreds. The few that stayed behind were next. Goku sprinted towards them and did the same. Their blood was spilled all around the child like a lake.

Kenren watched as the child continued to kill everything in his sight. He wanted to believe this wasn't Goku but another part of him told him that it was. He just witnessed his new friend turn into a blood thirsty machine. He turned towards the two caretakers of the heretic and said, "H-Hey! What the hell's going on here?! Konzen! Yuki!"

Yuki couldn't speak, her hands over her mouth as she witnessed her precious child kill so many people. Konzen was in the same boat but he managed to mutter out, "His golden diadem…"

The military officers looked to see the now shattered diadem on the floor. "Are you saying that the diadem on his forehead was his demon power limiter?" Amaya asked, trying to find some answers.

Konzen and Yuki nodded their heads, unable to speak as another scream went through the room.

"So, once Goku's demon power increased, the diadem broke?" Tenpou questioned, his brain putting the pieces together.

Kenren and Chao Li also started to understand what was going on. "Don't tell me," the bodyguard nearly groaned out.

"You're saying that that's Goku's true form?" Kenren clarified. "Right, Tenpou?"

Tenpou didn't reply, seeing as what he was thinking might not be it. "I read about it this in a book before," he said, missing the eye roll from his Admiral. "Not human or youkai, let alone a God. He's come to be called the symbol of Chaos by the legends. A being granted powers equal to that of Heaven."

"Seiten Taisei," Yuki finished.

The group looked to see their heretic friend standing in the middle of a pile of bodies, his shirt torn where they can now see his demonic mark on his stomach. That just proved that what Tenpou read, was right. A guard that didn't manage to die in the slaughter, began to move towards Goku, almost like he was asking for forgiveness. He was met with a swift kick to the face.

The guards surrounding Li Touten seemed to lose their fighting spirit and began to flee. Goku turned towards the screams and met the eyes of the corrupt man. Li Touten was now frightened seeing the blood lust in the child's eyes. "Where do you think you're going?!" he yelled at the retreating guards. "Aren't you going to protect me?! Cowards!"

Li Touten turned back when he heard movement, his heart dropped when he saw Goku in the air ready to attack him. He managed to throw the body of Nataku at the heretic but it didn't faze him. Goku continued forth on his attack and ripped out Li Touten's right eye. The man cried out in pain, holding where his eye should be so that he could stop the bleeding.

Li Touten fell to the ground, feeling a bit dizzy from blood loss but kept his sights on his attacker. "Ah! Don't come any closer! Don't come near me, monster!" he screamed, terrified for his life.

Goku took a step towards the man but stopped when Kenren yelled at him. "Cut it out!"

"Kenren?" Tenpou breathed out, surprised to hear his friend. Even Konzen and Yuki were shocked to hear the general.

"I can't watch this anymore," Kenren admitted, breathing harshly because of his yell. "No one, not even you, wanted this. If you're gonna act violently like this, make me your opponent, Goku!"

The group waited patiently for the boy to react. A few seconds later, Goku looked at the group of friends and they were shocked to see a smile they never seen before. It was filled with a vicious intent, his eyes like a snake. Kenren took a step back but that seemed to cause Goku to take Kenren's request immediately. Konzen and Yuki yelled out for Goku to stop, Tenpou and Chao Li yelling for their officer to get out of the way, and Yun Li silently watching in fear of what is about to happen.

Kenren pulled his arms up, ready to take the attack but suddenly felt himself being pushed. He fell to the ground, groaned in pain and looked up quickly to see what happened. His heart dropped at the sight. Amaya pushed him out of the way just in time to take the attack. She barely managed to take out one of her elbow blades to block it but the force behind it was incredible. Goku punched her into a pillar, causing it to crumble from the force.

"Amaya!" Kenren and Tenpou shouted, hoping to hear something from the woman. They panicked when all they heard was the sound of rocks and pebbles hitting the floor around her.

"Aya," Yuki choked out, afraid that her sibling was now gone. Konzen's hand on her shoulder didn't even calm her down. She was scared that she lost her sister.

Goku didn't even care about the emotional damage he caused to his friends. His evil smile was still on his face as he sprinted towards the fallen admiral, ready to finish her off. He was pushed back about twenty feet away by Chao Li's monk spade. The bodyguard's usual annoyed look was now vicious and aggressive, ready to protect his ward. Goku didn't mind the glare, seeing as he found another opponent to fight. He leaped towards the bodyguard and threw a right punch, Chao Li already ahead of him and blocked it, kicking the child back once again. He refused to let this Goku near the woman.

Kenren and Tenpou were torn between staying where they are, to stay out of the man's way or to follow their heart and go check on their admiral. Kenren more than anything. From where they stood, they could only see her legs and that worried them. They needed to see if she was breathing.

Konzen, Yuki and Yun Li were also frozen in their places. Yuki also wanted to check on her sister but knew better than to run where a battle is. Even if Yun Li was next to her, she couldn't do it. She was also worried about Goku. Every time Chao Li swung his weapon at him, she flinched and resisted the urge to yell at them.

Konzen was about to ask what they needed to do but the group was startled by another voice. "Well, isn't that showy." They looked behind them to see Kanzeon leaning against the doorway. "Cut it out. You guys know that if you fight that chibi. . . Well, even if I did tell you, you already knew that."

"Kanzeon Bosatsu," Yuki addressed, a bit bewildered about the Goddess's appearance.

Konzen, however, jumped right at what she said. "How is it reckless? More than that, that's Goku fighting Chao Li!"

Kenren, Tenpou, Yuki and Yun Li all nodded. They didn't want to fight Goku but they also know that the one fighting the bodyguard right now is not the one they know and love. "Is there a way to get his diadem back?" Yuki asked the Goddess.

"Hmph, a way," Kanzeon said, walking towards the fight between Chao Li and Goku. "I say we settle things." That surprised the group, trying to stop her from joining. She walked on the battlefield, mainly towards the bodyguard. Once she was close, she grabbed the man's wrist and pushed him towards Amaya.

"W-What?! Hey! Kanzeon Bosa-!" Chao Li began to argue.

"Watch over your ward," Kanzeon simply replied, looking towards the heretic that was coming her way. "Come on, chibi. Let's live quickly."

The group braced themselves for Kanzeon's fight but were shocked when she just simply punched Goku and sent him flying into the wall. That didn't faze Goku because he immediately jumped out of the rubble and went to attack the Goddess again. "Goku," Yuki squeaked out at the attack, not able to watch fully.

"Energetic, isn't he?" Kanzeon seemed to ask in a teasing way. She grabbed the child's wrist and twisted it behind his back, then slammed him to the floor, causing him to be knocked out cold. "Don't think me bad, Seiten Taisei."

Yuki watched in horror as the Goddess went for the killing blow, unable to do anything but watch. Konzen couldn't watch either so he ran up to his aunt and grabbed her wrist. He then punched her in the face, knocking her a step back. The two relatives had a momentary stare down, almost as if they were reading their thoughts. Yuki stared at the two, holding her breath in nervousness but gasped when Kanzeon kneed her nephew in the gut. She ran up to the blonde and placed a hand on his back, "Konzen! Are you ok?!"

"He's in for it," Kenren snickered, causing Tenpou to also chuckle.

Yuki glared at them for a moment but was shocked to hear her bodyguard. "He had it coming."

Kanzeon pushed her hair back to where it belongs, sporting a new bruise on her cheek. "Hmph, raising your hand against me," she said. "You have good courage, Konzen Douji." Konzen looked up at his aunt in shock, not believing she is saying this. She then looked at Yuki with a small smile. "You as well, Yuki. Now, please don't regret it."

Konzen took that moment to go towards the unconscious child and took him into his arms, holding him close. The words his aunt told him brought back his first encounter with the heretic and what sounded like teasing words from the Goddess.

" _Can you become that chibi's sun?"_

' _No. I'm not the sun,' Konzen answered in his head._

" _Cool! It's sparkling!"_

' _Actually, the sun is…'_

Konzen looked down at Goku's sleeping face, finishing his sentence. Yuki walked up to the two people she held close to her heart, taking the blonde's hand gently. Konzen's anxiety seemed to fade as the woman in front of him smiled, almost like she was saying that everything was going to be ok.

Konzen looked back at his aunt with a determined expression, "Yeah. I won't regret."

Their moment was ruined by the cynical laughter of Li Touten, now standing up but still holding his bleeding eye socket. "You fools! Since you protected that child, it's the same as treason! For those who have become enemies of Heaven, there's a special form of death penalty." Konzen and Yuki shrunk into each other, trying to create some sort of barrier between the cruel man and the heretic. "When you're rotting you'll regret it, Konzen Douji and Yuki!"

As Li Touten yelled at them, the room was filled once again by guards, all of them carrying a sword or some kind of weapon. Konzen and Yuki began to look around, trying to find a way to escape but they couldn't. Panic started to rise in their minds and it was not a perfect time to do so. They were startled when three bodies formed a shield around them.

"What do you think, Supreme Commander Tenpou?" Kenren asked, bringing his lighthearted-ness in the serious situation.

"Hm? Who knows? I am also a fool. So why do I have to understand?" Tenpou replied, his own teasing showing.

Konzen and Yuki look up at the officers, surprised to see them protecting them. Yun Li could only shake his head at what the officers were saying as he pulled out his daisho. How Chao Li put up with these two idiots was beyond him.

"'If we're all fools, there's no loss in dancing.' Or so they say," Tenpou recited one of his book quotes.

Kenren was confused, "What's that? First time I've heard that one."

"It's a famous idiom from the World Below," Tenpou said, taking out his revolver pistol. "Konzen, can you run while carrying Goku?"

Konzen scoffed, "Don't make fun of me."

"Yuki, please stay by Yun Li's side," Tenpou ordered, worried about the woman's safety as they escaped.

"Of course," Yuki replied, standing up and hiding behind her bodyguard. A thought suddenly hit her. "Ah! What about Aya?"

"Don't worry about her," Kenren smirked, nodding his head towards where the admiral was last seen. Chao Li had her standing, fully awake, with her left arm around his shoulder. "She got someone to look after her as we watch over you three."

Yuki felt all worry for her sibling vanish as she witnessed with her own eyes Amaya moving. Now, she can focus on getting out of here alive with Goku and the others.

"You're running away? Where will you run to?" Li Touten taunted, signaling the guards to start their assault. "Our Heavenly Army will chase you anywhere and end your lives!"

"Yeah yeah," Kenren said, almost rolling his eyes at the obvious threat. "Then let's get fired up and escape to a place where you can't reach!"

That was the last thing that was clearly heard because the room was filled with the sounds of metal against metal. The guards attacked from all angles as the group of friends made their way to the large doors. The screams from the fallen echoed in the room as well as the sounds of Tenpou's gun. It was a mad frenzy to kill the traitors of heaven.

"Kill them!" Li Touten screamed above the madness. "Kill every last one of them!"

That didn't deter the friend's wills to escape. It seemed to fire them up even more. Between Konzen's burning calves and Yuki's encouraging whispers to the men, their determination seemed to grow. Even as more guards poured in the room and got closer.

Across the room was Goujun, helplessly watching his officers fight off the guards. He wondered how it came to this as he yelled for his men. "General Kenren! Admiral Amaya! Commander Tenpou! Stop this at once!"

Tenpou looked to where the yell came from as he shot another guard. A plan popped into his head. He took a sharp left and sprinted towards his boss. Goujun barely managed to dodge the blade and block it from below. He was so focused on the sword that he was surprised when a sharp kick to his stomach hit him. The next thing he knew was a blade was at his neck.

The guards halted their attack at the progression. "Go-Goujun-sama?!"

Goujun went to speak but Tenpou moved the sword closer. "Commander Tenpou…" he breathed out.

"Sorry," Tenpou said low enough for just his boss to hear him, "for using this old villain's trick."

Kenren looked behind him to see what was going on and finally understood why the guards stopped. He had to admit his friend played a decent villain. Konzen and Yuki watched with worried gazes, not knowing what was going on with their friend. Yun Li was the only one still keeping an eye on their enemies, just in case they decided to attack again.

"Now, can you make way for us?" Tenpou directly asked Li Touten, knowing he was the one in charge of the sea they were in.

The guards looked at each other, not knowing what to do. Some looked at Li Touten but could only see him seething in anger. His glare could kill but he couldn't do anything. The marshal caught him in a bind.

Just as he was about give, he got a plan. He grabbed the nearest smart looking guard and pulled him close. Tenpou watched closely what the evil man was doing, wishing he could hear what the man was saying.

Li Touten shoved the guard away once he was done, going back to his stare down with the officer. "Fine. Let them go," he ordered the guards. He received skeptical looks but he nodded his head to show it was ok.

Tenpou was about to ask what he said to the guard but went against it. Their first priority was to get out of the mess they were in alive. The guard would have to wait.

The group gradually walked to the exit, still in formation of Tenpou and Kenren up front and Yun Li at the back with Konzen, Yuki, and Goku in the middle. Their guard was on everything that moved an inch. They did not like how easy this was turning out.

"Tenpou, was this the best plan you could come up with?" Kenren asked in a teasing manner.

Tenpou had to hold back his urge to scoff. "It's the only plan we have."

"Would you two shut the hell up?" Konzen growled out, having enough of the two men bickering in a serious situation.

Yuki barely heard them, searching the crowd for a certain someone. "Where is Aya?" she asked to nobody in particular.

Yun Li scanned the room, looking for a head of purple hair. He spotted them about twenty feet away, Chao Li helping Amaya walk with his arm around her waist. "Do not worry Lady Yuki. Chao Li and Amaya are making their way towards us."

Yuki felt relieved but still held her worried frown. Her bodyguard noticed it, about to say something so she wouldn't stress but Konzen beat him to it. "It's alright Yuki. Those two idiots will be fine."

Yun Li witnessed his ward smile for the first time, his own small smile showing. The angry blonde behind him could do something like that so easily where he had to struggle a bit. Even though Konzen came across as being mean, the little things he did would make her smile or feel better.

The group of friends just arrived at the door, Kenren going to open the door as everyone faced the sea of murderous faces. Tenpou was so focused on what was going on up front, he didn't see a dark figure coming for him on his left. He was struck on the back of his head, causing him to lose his grip on his hostage. Everything seemed to go into slow motion as Tenpou grabbed Goujun again, Kenren shooting the guy who attacked his friend and Li Touten's yell. The one that sent fear down the group's spine.

"Kill them! Kill them now!"

Kenren opened the door wide enough for them to go through. Tenpou went in first with Goujun, Konzen carrying Goku along with Yuki went through next. Yun Li stayed behind, frantically looking for his lover. "Where's Chao-AH!"

Yun Li was cut off by someone grabbing his wrist and pulling him out the door. Kenren slammed the door shut and blocked it with a piece of wood through the handles. He backed away just as the loud slams echoed from the other side.

"That will stop 'em," Kenren breathed out.

"But not for long," Tenpou reminded. "We can find shelter back at the office. That will force them to hold back for a while."

"Guys," Konzen interrupted with slight worry in his tone. The group looked back to the blonde with the heretic and woman to see what was going on. "Goku's breathing is increasing."

"Like he's about to wake up?" Kenren asked.

Konzen had to hold back the urge to punch the man. Luckily Yuki was more patient and answered before there was another argument. "No. Like something is wrong."

A loud bang startled the group from looking at the child. The bang came from the door holding back their enemies.

"We'll check him out once we get to my office," Tenpou said as he began to push Goujun towards their target. "Right now, we need to get there fast before that door breaks."

Another loud bang resounded through their bodies as the door made a loud cracking sound.

"We're not going to make it in time," Chao Li said to himself in realization.

"What did you say?" Amaya questioned her bodyguard.

"Let's get moving people!" Kenren yelled as he bagan to usher people towards their destination.

The door cracked even more, barely holding together.

Chao Li and Yun Li barely responded as their group frantically moved. They shared a look, already knowing what they needed to do. They were not happy about it but if it meant saving their wards, they would do it.

For them.

"We have to stay," Chao Li said what both bodyguards thought. "Yun Li and I have to stay."

"What?!" Amaya yelled as she pushed the man away. "Like hell you have to stay!"

"Amaya. Do not make this harder than it shou-."

"I am not letting you stay behind!" Amaya interrupted, tears already forming. "We will all make it to Tenpou's office together and-!"

Chao Li took hold of his ward's shoulders to make her look into his pleading eyes. "Just listen to me for once in your life!"

"No!" Amaya defied, her tears now falling. "I won't listen because I don't want you to die idiot!"

"That's my job!" Chao Li retorted, his own tears threatening to breakthrough. "I'm supposed to protect you until I die!"

"I don't care if that is your job! You're my best friend and I won't let you die needlessly!"

Nearby, a calmer confrontation was going on. Yuki actually stepped away from the sick child in Konzen's arms and approached her bodyguard with sadness in her eyes. They didn't say much, not wanting to upset the other.

"You don't have to stay," Yuki broke their silence, her voice cracking.

Yun Li shook his head. "I have to in order to protect you."

Yuki willed herself not to cry. She wanted to stay strong in this moment but she couldn't. Like her sibling, she didn't want her bodyguard to die. She wanted him and his lover to stay with them, to live together as a family like always.

"Please don't do this Yun Li," Yuki choked out, wiping her tears away. "Please don't leave us."

"I'm sorry Lady Yuki but I have to," Yun Li said, wishing he could hug his ward but knew better. She would latch on to him and never let go like back then.

Yuki went to grab the man's sleeve but was startled away by another slam. The group looked to see the door on its last two feet and they could hear clearly what the guards were yelling.

"We have to leave now!" Tenpou yelled, a bit more frantic to show time was not on their side. He hated to rush this moment but they need to get going.

Amaya grabbed Chao Li's wrist and started to pull him with her. "Come on! Let's go!"

Chao Li reversed the hold and dragged the woman towards the general. He switched his hand with Kenren's and looked him in the eyes with such intensity. "Take good care of her." Then he stepped back towards the door, readying his weapon.

"NO! Let go of me Kenren!" Amaya screamed as Kenren picked her up bridal style and ran towards their shelter. He felt his heart break as the woman in his arms continued to scream for her bodyguard. "Chao Li! Come with us!"

Yuki went to grab her bodyguard as well but he stepped away. She knew now his mind was made up. She couldn't convince him to stay. Yun Li's heart broke as he saw his ward cry for him. He turned to Konzen, who stayed behind for his secretary, and nodded his head. "Please watch over her," he said to the blonde.

Konzen nodded his head. "Of course."

"And Yuki," Yun Li addressed the woman, holding back a smirk at the wide eyes he received. "Thank you for everything."

Yuki's tears were now a never ending stream. She longed for the stoic man to call her by her name without an honorific. _'How cruel,'_ she thought as Konzen pulled her away.

Yun Li watched as the two sisters were dragged away from them. One silently grieving while the other screaming for them to stay. He glanced at his lover next to him facing the door and away from the retreating group.

"Are you ok?" Yun Li asked, focused on the intense frown on the man's face.

Chao Li didn't reply immediately, just staring at the door slowly coming down in front of them. His mind was not on the two women they protected for years. No. His mind was now on the man next to him. "I love you," he finally said.

Yun Li was surprised by the statement, feeling his heart speed up and clench at the same time. They were never ones to say that unless it was serious. They usually said it after they fought with each other or in the moment situations. "I love you too," he replied once his shock wore off. "Why did you say it?"

Chao Li looked away from the door to face his lover fully. He had a sad smile on his face, like he regretted something. "Because now I wish I told you more often."

"It's ok Chao Li," the shorter man comforted as he took hold of his lover's hand. "I've always known so don't beat yourself over it."

Chao Li looked into the dark blue eyes he has come to adore. He saw the love in them and felt his tears coming back. Another slam echoed, the door now almost destroyed but that didn't stop the two men. They looked into each other's eyes, saying all the words they couldn't say in that moment.

Yun Li couldn't help it anymore. He tugged the taller man down into a bittersweet kiss. The kiss was short as they couldn't stay like that forever like they wanted to. They pulled apart and smiled at each other. "I love you," Yun Li said again, feeling like this will be the last time together.

"I love you too," Chao Li said, also feeling that this moment will be the last. He didn't want it to though so he decided to brighten the sad mood. "Hey. When this is over, let's meet under the cherry blossom trees."

Yun Li wanted to cry so badly at that. Instead to stop the tears, he nodded his head and croaked out, "Yeah."

The last slam finally came, the door crashing down. The guards rushed out towards the two men. The bodyguards ripped their stare apart to face the oncoming attack. They blocked the first swings and dodged the next. The two men stayed together, back to back as more attacks came through. They couldn't risk getting blindsided.

A few guards noticed this and told their nearby comrades. They needed to separate these two if they had a chance at killing them. Yun Li went to stab a guard that was coming his way but felt something grab the back of his cloak. He was thrown quite a bit away from his friend which worried him greatly.

"Chao Li!" he called out.

Chao Li didn't even notice his lover was taken away from him until he heard his name so far away. He turned in that direction and felt scared. "Yun-AGH!" He was hit by an arrow in his shoulder.

It was Yun Li's turn to feel scared as he witnessed his lover get hit. He went to help him but he was sliced from behind causing him to cry out in pain. He killed the man that hurt him and turned his attention back to his company. The purple haired man was still trying to get to him, killing anyone that got in his way. He felt happy knowing that his companion was willing to do such a thing for him.

 _Hey Yun Li._

Yun Li was in such bliss that he didn't notice another sword coming at him. He noticed it as the searing pain on his chest hit him, crying out once again but much quieter this time. He fell to the ground feeling his blood leave him and seeping into the grass below him. His sight was going blurry from the blood loss but he could still make out the sight of Chao Li fighting his way towards him.

Yun Li felt his eyes water up as his unshed tears finally fell. All the tears he held in knowing he could no longer be with Yuki, Amaya, or his beloved. He heard Chao Li yelling but he couldn't tell what he was saying. He gathered up the rest of his strength to hold out his hand towards his lover. He wanted to feel his touch one last time before he passed out.

Yun Li opened his mouth to call out to him but his voice couldn't be found. He tried what seemed thousands of times to say his love's name but it never came out. Finally, his voice started to work a little bit as he saw the purple blob in front of him come even closer but was still so far away.

 _I know I was never the best lover._

Chao Li watched in horror as he saw a man approach Yun Li from behind with a mallet. He already knew what the guy was going to do without him saying it. He fought harder through the sea of enemies, yelling for Yun Li to hold on for a little bit longer. Another arrow hit his right side, slowing him down a bit but he still pushed on. He needed to reach Yun Li before the guy got to him.

 _I'm sorry about that. I was never good about that kind of stuff._

Chao Li felt his heart racing as a sinking feeling hit him but he pushed it away. He was almost to Yun Li. That's all that mattered. Not the burning of all his wounds on his body willing him to stop. No. All that mattered was to save Yun Li from the guy now behind him.

He saw his lover's tears and him reaching out to him. He wanted to grab that hand and pull him close but his hands were too busy killing anybody that got in his way. Chao Li yelled out for his love as he saw his lips move one last time. He didn't know what he said because the next second, his face was smashed with a huge mallet.

 _I'm also sorry about not keeping our promise._

The guy who just killed Yun Li smirked, feeling proud of himself for getting rid of one of their targets. His smirk didn't last long because he felt a blade go right through his stomach. He looked to see who did so and was met with raged filled gray eyes. The next second, he was sliced in half as the blade was jerked upward.

Chao Li went after the next guard near him was the ball of his weapon, cracking his skull into a million pieces. Nobody was safe near the enraged male. He went through and slaughtered every single guard for his lover. It was no longer to keep the men away from his friends. He now wanted revenge for them taking away his one true love and this was the only way.

 _Oh. I'm also sorry for not saying I loved you sooner._

The last guard fell, joining his hundred other fallen comrades. Chao Li was the last one standing in the first siege, his breathing heavy and labored. His wounds multiplied and he had a few arrows still stuck in him. His hair was no longer in his neat ponytail, now unraveled and flowing around in his face. He could barely hear anything, his ears ringing from his body trying to cycle his blood he was losing. His anger was still there as he saw the remains of his lover nearby.

Chao Li turned to his fallen lover but his legs gave out on him causing him to fall. He caught himself a little bit, landing on his knees instead of his face. His breathing was still harsh but he wasn't focused on that. His mind was on his friends. How he wish he could join them Down Below with Yun Li. It would be paradise.

 _And…_

Chao Li felt tears falling down his face thinking about their paradise. Why was it so hard to obtain? Why couldn't they have been born down there and lived in their paradise from the start instead of going through this Hell? He looked at his lover once again, his tears falling harder as his heart broke at the sight. He wanted Yun Li to be happy.

His moment was interrupted by footsteps coming from behind. He didn't even have to look to know what was going on. It was Li Touten with the rest of the army to go after his friends. He couldn't hear much but he did manage to hear hushed whispers about the slaughtered men around him. How he was a monster and such.

Chao Li scoffed silently, not caring about their words. He was only focused on thinking about the good times in his life. He thought about Amaya and Kenren being idiots together, Tenpou being oblivious about his hoarding problem, Konzen and Goku bickering, Yuki's laugh at everything and of course Yun Li silently judging everybody with him. He would never admit it before but they lived a wonderful life even though it was boring at times.

The bodyguard felt his heart slowing down, his vision going out as well. He knew his time was coming to an end. It was a bittersweet feeling. He didn't want to leave because of his friend but he also couldn't wait to see Yun Li again in the afterlife. He felt himself falling and couldn't help but to smile. Maybe one day he could see his friend's again.

 _I'm sorry I didn't meet you under the cherry blossom tree…._


	15. OVA - What's Your Hobby?

**Red Weasel: Here is a wonderfully silly chapter for the OVA in Saiyuki Gaiden. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!**

 **We don't own Gaiden.**

OVA: What's Your Hobby?

"Hey! Hey Ten-chan! What is 'hobby'?"

The marshal turned around to face the child in his office with a curious stare. "What's with that out of the blue?" he asked.

"It's Ken-Nii-chan," the child replied with a smile. "He mentioned Ten-chan's weird hobby."

Tenpou shook his head, "He is still a rude man." Goku didn't hear him, more interested in learning what a hobby was. "Well, in short a hobby is a private enjoyable action that differs from each individual," Tenpou recited. "For example, my hobby is bringing back artistic items from the mortal world."

Goku's face lit up as he seemed to understand what the word meant now. Tenpou chuckled at the look and felt a bit proud knowing the young heretic was learning something.

"What about you Goku? What do you enjoy?" the marshal asked to engage the child.

"I like climbing trees, playing menko with Yuki, origami with Konzen, roasted sweet potatoes, drawing pictures then giving them to Yuki, playing catch with Yun Li, playing tag, hide and seek, meat buns," Goku named off but his mind continued down the food list, naming a few fruits as well.

Tenpou laughed at the list. Of course the young child didn't know the specific term for it but at least he got the main idea. "Hahaha!" Goku does have a lot of hobbies!"

Goku nodded enthusiastically then suddenly formed an idea. "Oh! What about Ken-Nii-chan! What's his hobby?"

"I'm not too sure," Tenpou replied, also feeling a bit curious. "How about we go ask him?"

And so, the two went off to find the rambunctious general.

* * *

"My hobby?" Kenren questioned back once the two found him walking in the hallway. "Fishing."

Tenpou was surprised by that answer. Usually his friend wasn't too patient and fishing called for it. Goku just stared at the man with a blank expression. He didn't know what that was exactly but it sounded boring.

Kenren noticed the bored look and spouted off why he enjoyed it. "Fishing is good. It's a battle separated by water with an unseen enemy. Furthermore, fish taste good whether they are eaten raw, cooked, or roasted. Oh, an alcohol must not be left out."

Goku still held his blank expression. All he got out of his friend was that fish became food. Tenpou shook his head with a light chuckle. "Do you not understand the meaning of 'thou shalt not kill'?"

Kenren shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.

"What about Aya-Nee? What's her hobby?" Goku asked once the confusion simmered down.

The two men smirked at the question. They both knew what it was. So, the group of three went off to find the temperamental admiral.

* * *

The three friends peaked around the door to the shared kitchen for the Western's Army's squad. Their answer was clearly seen. Amaya was in the middle of baking a red bean cake. She was intensely focused on decorating it now, her brows furrowed in concentration. She didn't even notice her company walk in.

"Hey angel face! What'cha making?" Kenren broke the woman's concentration, nearly giving her a heart attack.

"What the hell Kenren?! You almost made me mess up!" Amaya growled out, glaring at her superior.

"Whatever it is, it smells amazing," Tenpou said as he sniffed the air again. It truly did smell wonderful and it made him remember he hasn't eaten for a while.

"Wow!" Goku exclaimed as he ran up to the woman to examine the cake closer. "You made this Aya-Nee?"

Amaya felt her cheeks turn a light shade of red. Only a handful of people knew of her hobby and she still gets embarrassed about it. If the rest of Heaven knew that the big bad admiral of the Western Army loved to bake and cook, she would be a laughing stock. Then again her squad would beat anybody up if they found out. They only wanted her cooking to themselves.

"Y-Yes," she finally managed to stutter out. "It's a red bean cake."

"Can I have a piece?" Goku asked, his mouth already watering.

"Us as well?" Tenpou asked as well with his own innocent smile.

Amaya sighed, "Sorry boys. It's for my family." Goku literally wanted to cry right then and there. The woman noticed and quickly added, "B-But I promise to make you one when I'm done with family business, ok?"

Goku perked right back up at that. He threw his hands around the admiral for a hug and yelled, "Thank you Aya-Nee!"

The woman shook her head in a playful manner as she patted the boy's head. "So, why are you guys here?" Amaya questioned her superiors.

"Goku wanted to know what your hobby is," Tenpou replied. "He even asked us and now you."

"Now you know Goku," Kenren smirked. "Our little princess's hobby is making us food."

Amaya shot another glare at the man but Tenpou interrupted the would be argument. "Speaking of hobbies, what about Chao Li? What's his hobby?"

"Oh. That's easy," Amaya said.

* * *

"Hobby? Why are you asking?" Chao Li asked the group who came up to him. He was in his ward's family house since his boss, the admiral's father, called him over. Now as he was on his way to head back to Amaya, he was approached by the group.

"Goku asked me and then he was curious about Kenren's and then Amaya's. Now, it is your turn," Tenpou answered.

Chao Li looked at the child staring at him with curious eyes. He then turned his attention to his ward and asked, "Should I really show him?"

Amaya shrugged her shoulders. "I think he will be fine with us around."

Chao Li let out a deep sigh and turned towards the exit. "Follow me."

The group followed the bodyguard to the squad barracks where everyone's rooms were. Chao Li opened his room and their questions were answered immediately. The man's room was filled with different types of weapons. Different designs of swords, spears, battle axes, and knives were scattered across the room neatly. The only normal thing in the room was a neatly made bed and a small black dresser.

Kenren and Tenpou looked around the room, taking in everything. "You know, I'm not too surprised," Kenren finally said, nodding his head in understanding.

"Same," Tenpou agreed.

Goku, however, was confused. Were they in some kind of weapon storage room? "Why are there so many weapons?" he asked innocently.

"That's my hobby," Chao Li replied. "I collect different assortments of weapons."

"I'm surprised you haven't been stabbed yet in your sleep," Amaya teased.

"At least my room isn't a fucking pigsty," the bodyguard retorted, his eyes going towards the marshal.

Tenpou ignored the stare and thought to the other bodyguard. "I wouldn't be surprised if Yun Li had the same hobby."

"Actually he's next door," Chao Li pointed out which surprised the group. "He likes to go there to think."

"Why is he there?" Kenren asked slowly, not sure if he's ready for this.

Chao Li closed his door and went to the next one to his right. He opened it to reveal an interesting sight. Yun Li was sitting on the edge of the window, looking at his book in his hand. Cherry blossoms flowed behind him making the scene more dramatic.

" _I want to be your love for ever and ever,_

 _Without break or decay._

 _When the hills are all flat,_

 _The rivers are all dry._

 _When it thunders in winter,_

 _When it snows in summer_

 _When Heaven and Earth mingle,_

 _Not till then will I part from you.[1]"_ Yun Li recited from his poetry book.

Goku, Kenren, and Tenpou looked at the bodyguard with shocked eyes. They never would have guessed the super serious aqua haired man would write such a romantic thing. Chao Li, however, was near tears since he was so deeply moved by the poem.

"Wow," Goku broke the silence, startling Yun Li out of his moment.

"Oh! How long have you been here?" Yun Li asked, his monotone still in play but his cheeks turning a light pink.

"We heard everything," Amaya answered for the still stunned men with a hidden smile. "You're getting better Yun Li. You brought Chao Li to tears."

The bodyguard's face brightened at the compliment. He's always been trying to improve his writing so to hear that brought him joy. "T-Thank you Amaya."

"Cute, smart, deadly, and can write poetry," Kenren smirked. "Where have you been all my life?"

Chao Li harshly nudged the general, throwing a vicious glare at him. "Don't get any ideas asshole."

Kenren rubbed his now sore arm then threw his hands up to show he meant no harm. "Don't worry big guy. I already have my eyes set on someone else," he said as he looked at the admiral who had a confused look on her face.

"Ken-Nii-chan! Are you talking about-MMPH!" Goku was cut off by a hand covering his mouth.

"Goku, is there someone else you would like to see?" Kenren interrupted, patting the child's head. He silenced the child because he didn't want the heretic to be the one to tell the woman he loved her. He wanted to on his own time.

Goku's attention went back to his adventure and nodded his head. "Yuki! What's her hobby?" he asked once he was let go.

The group looked to the woman's bodyguard who joined them. Realizing he was expected to answer, he said, "It's better to show you."

* * *

The slowly expanding group of friends returned to the sister's family home. They followed the bodyguard to the back of the house to an open yard. At the far right, they saw the kind woman they were searching for kneeling down on the ground.

Goku ran up to the woman, excited to see his favorite caretaker, yelling, "Yuki!" over and over again.

The woman was startled by the sudden yell but smiled brightly at the child running towards her. "Goku! Oh! You brought everybody else."

"Yeah! We wanted to see you!" Goku exclaimed, completely forgetting the reason behind searching for the secretary. He was just happy he got to see her.

"Awww, you're so sweet!" Yuki said, ruffling the child's hair gently. She then turned her attention to the adults behind the heretic. "Thank you for watching over Goku. I appreciate it deeply."

"It's not a problem sweetheart," Kenren answered. "We actually enjoy hanging out with the little monkey."

"Stop calling me that!" Goku huffed.

Yuki giggled at the interaction. "So, any particular reason to see me?"

"Ah!" Tenpou gasped. "Yes. Goku was wondering about all of our hobbies. Now, it is your turn."

Yuki was surprised to hear that. She did not expect that response. "Oh, well. You came at the right time."

The kind woman stood up and turned her attention behind her. There lay a small garden of different herbs and fruits. There was even a small bonsai tree in the top right corner. It looked near perfect. No weed or dead leaves in the tiny garden.

"This is my hobby," Yuki presented with a small proud smile. "I started this garden when I was a young girl. Father introduced it at first to Aya to help her calm down but I was the one who continued to care for it."

The young heretic looked over the garden with interested eyes as his friends watched him. "Did you ever consider expanding it?" Tenpou asked.

"I did but I decided against it," Yuki replied. "I like to have a small garden because I can keep an eye on each one of my plants. Having too many would mean some would be neglected."

"Yuki!" Goku yelled as he pointed at a plant. "This one is growing strawberries! Ah! And this one is growing tomatoes! Can we eat them?!"

"No my dear," Yuki said as she walked over to the child. "They are not done growing just yet."

Goku pouted a little bit at the news. "When can we?"

Yuki looked at the fruits and let out a small him. "They should be ready in about a week. I'll bring them to the office as soon as they are ready. Ok Goku?"

Goku's eyes shines brightly. "Yay! I'll get fruits and a cake!"

"A cake?" Yuki asked, wondering why the child said that.

"Aya-Nee-chan said she would make me one since I couldn't have the one she was making," Goku explained in innocence.

Yuki finally understood. Her sister was making the cake for their family meeting coming up and the boy just so happened to see it. "Well, you are in luck because Aya makes the best cakes in Heaven."

"I do not!" Amaya mumbled, her cheeks turning red from the praise. She felt an arm around her shoulders causing her to stumble a bit.

"And it's all for us ants!" Kenren jousted with his boyish smirk.

Tenpou shook his head at the childishness his friend took in. "So, we have just one person left."

"Left for what?" Yuki asked.

"To show us their hobby," Tenpou replied. "What is Konzen's hobby?"

The military officers and bodyguards didn't have a clue but Yuki and Goku automatically said, "That's easy."

That surprised everybody seeing as they didn't even have a guess but what can you say. These two hung out with the blonde more often.

And so, the group followed the mother and son duo to find Konzen.

* * *

Goku slowly opened the door to Konzen's office and smiled when he saw what he was looking for. He stepped out of the way so the officers could peak in and said, "Go look."

Amaya, Kenren, and Tenpou looked inside the room and had to hold back their laughter. Konzen was sitting at his desk, doing paperwork like usual, but every time he put on a stamp, he closely examined it. He let out a small hum when the stamp was perfectly aligned in the corner and continued to do so in silence.

"I knew he had tendencies but now I know he's an old man in disguise," Kenren snickered. "Now he just needs to play bingo every Friday."

"Kenren!" Yuki scolded lightly.

"Sorry sweetheart," the general apologized.

"But I must say that I'm not surprised either," Tenpou wondered. "He always was like this since I met him."

"And you like this old man, Yuki?" Amaya asked her sister.

Yuki blushed at her sibling's question. "Aya!" she whined.

As the group of friends continued to talk, they didn't realize that they were a bit too loud. The blonde in the room heard the commotion and his joy immediately disappeared. He saw his door open wide enough to see the group, feeling his eyebrow tick in annoyance.

Konzen got up from his seat, slowly making his way to the door. He slammed it open fully, grabbing his secretary's wrist to pull her away from the troublemaker's, and yelled, "Get the hell out of her you bastards!"

That was the officer's cue to leave. Amaya and Kenren jogged away, laughing hysterically as Chao Li and Tenpou followed behind them. "Thanks for having us! See you later Goku! You as well Yuki!" Tenpou waved.

Konzen watched as they left, happy that they didn't put up a fight. He then turned to his secretary and asked, "What was going on out here?"

Before the woman could speak, Goku tugged on the blonde's arm and started to retell the tale of his adventure. Konzen and Yuki quietly listened, saying their input here and there but wanted Goku to tell the full story. A servant walked by and saw the small family, smiling at the sight until annoyed purple eyes ushered them away. Goku didn't notice though. He was just happy he was with his two caretakers.

He could honestly say it was a long and entertaining day for him.

 **I hope you guys enjoyed! Even though it was extreme sadness last chapter.**

 **Love you guys!**

 _ **[1] A poem that came from Yuefu folk poems of Han Dynasty.**_


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